The city of Essaouira celebrated its Spring on 5 and 6 March, an event with multiple attractions that enriches the events of the City of the Trade Winds.
The Essaouira Spring was set to the rhythm of many activities that furnished a colourful programme mixing culture, economy, sport, and other aspects of all kinds, on 5 and 6 March. Initiated by the Provincial Tourism Council (CPT) in collaboration with the Provincial Tourism Delegation, the province, and the commune of Essaouira, this exceptional event invested many places to unveil its multifaceted content which included, among other things, a "Clean Beach" operation, an open-air art exhibition, a painting competition, a women's race, and a fantasia.
According to its initiators, this "Spring" proposes to highlight the enormous natural, cultural, and tourist potential that the City of the Trade Winds abounds with and to promote the city as a flagship destination for tourism in Morocco. This event, which adds to the panoply of the most varied and authentic festivals organised throughout the year in Essaouira, was the occasion for the president of the CPT, Redwane Khanne, to present the broad outlines of the destination's development strategy. In his eyes, several factors contribute to making this dynamic and moving city an unmissable tourist destination, including a Medina classified as a World Heritage site, enormous potential in terms of water sports highly prized by kite-surfers and windsurfers, as well as a true school of painters and sculptors. In addition to seaside tourism, many projects are underway or programmed for the valorisation of urban and cultural tourism, he said, noting that nationals are today the second largest clientele for the destination and that this trend is set to increase with the implementation of products that are in line with the expectations and consumption patterns of Moroccan tourists.
Still in the wake of promoting the destination and diversifying its tourist offer, a development plan for rural and nature tourism intended to valorise the hinterland has been put in place in consultation with all the operators concerned. Also, other actions are being prepared for a sustainable tourist valorisation of the island of Mogador through environmentally friendly practices. After highlighting the tireless efforts made by all the parties concerned, notably the local authorities and the provincial tourism delegation, with a view to improving the tourist environment, the president of the CPT stressed the need to significantly develop air travel insofar as the two air routes linking the City of the Trade Winds to Paris and London remain insufficient to promote the destination.
The Essaouira Spring was also marked by the signing, in the presence of the governor of the province, of a partnership agreement between the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services (CCIS) of the Marrakech-Safi region and the CPT. By virtue of this agreement, the CCIS places at the disposal of the Council an administrative office space of its delegation in the City of the Trade Winds.
