The tourist destination of Ouarzazate was presented, on Wednesday in Madrid, during a workshop organised by the delegation of the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) in Spain.
Speaking on this occasion, the director of the ONMT in Spain, Mohamed Sofi, indicated that the Kingdom is considered the number one destination for Spaniards outside of Europe, specifying that the number of Iberian tourists who visited Morocco between 2005 and 2014 experienced growth of more than 300%, to reach 680,000 visitors.
This number, he said, should be increased to 745,000 visitors in 2015, with an increase of 9 pc, thanks notably to the promotional campaigns designed by the ONMT and the multiplication of air links between the different cities of Morocco and Spain.
Regarding the province of Ouarzazate, Mohamed Sofi noted that this region recorded an increase of 40% in tourist arrivals in 2014, while overnight stays experienced growth of 50% during the same period, recalling that a direct air link between the Spanish capital and Ouarzazate was inaugurated recently.
For his part, Mohamed Saïd Mrani, president of the Provincial Tourism Council of Ouarzazate, stressed, in a statement to the MAP, that this workshop is an opportunity to present the Ouarzazate region as a multi-vocation destination to Spanish professionals, noting that Spain represents a very important market given the geographical proximity between the two countries.
In this sense, he explained that thanks to its cinematographic vocation and the solar energy project, Ouarzazate could constitute a unique destination in the context of scientific and cultural tourism, especially since several museums are in the realisation phase, which will contribute to the strengthening of the region's tourist offer.
As for Amine Tazi Hemida, general director of Atlas Studios, he emphasised, in a similar statement, the cinematographic vocation of the city of Ouarzazate, pointing out that projects will be launched to promote a tourist offer based on the filming locations of several international films in the studios of this city.
A dozen Moroccan operators in the field of tourism took part in this meeting, which also saw the participation of about sixty Spanish travel agencies.
