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2018 boost for ouarzazate professionals

2018 : A Boost For Ouarzazate Professionals

  • Very satisfactory figures at the end of October 2018: a 14% increase in arrivals.
  • France, the leading market with 12.92% and 13.18% respectively of the overall volume of arrivals and overnight stays at the destination, saw its figures rise by 29% and 17% respectively for arrivals and overnight stays.
  • With 25,011 arrivals in 2018, the Chinese are in second place after the French.
  • Air connections from abroad were being arranged.
  • A very ambitious action plan for the promotion of the destination.

Thanks to the promotional efforts made by the Provincial Council of Tourism of Ouarzazate in collaboration with the Moroccan National Tourist Office and the Municipal Council of Ouarzazate, the tourism sector continues to show very good results.
The total number of tourists who visited the region rose from 219,920 during the first ten months of 2017 to 250,846 for the same period of 2018, thus recording a 14% increase, due in particular to the 23% increase in the number of non-resident tourists (¾ of the overall volume), since their volume rose from 170,328 in 2017 to 210,105 in 2018.
France, the leading market with 12.92% of total arrivals at the destination, saw its volume increase by 29% from 25,157 between January and October 2017 to 32,417 for the same period in 2018.
Second place is now occupied by Chinese visitors, whose number has increased by 47%, from 17,005 visitors in 2017 to 25,011 visitors in 2018, surpassing the number of Spanish tourists, whose number reached 22,460 in 2018, an increase of 8%.
The other markets recorded very satisfactory growth: +57% for Italy, +46% for the USA, +24% for Germany, +21% for the Netherlands and +18% for Japan.
The overall number of overnights recorded in 2018 in the province's classified accommodation establishments increased from 327,383 to 343,216 (between the top ten in 2017 and 2018, respectively). Nights spent by non-residents rose from 249,524 in 2017 to 276,349 in 2018, an increase of 11%.
France, whose cumulative overnight stays increased from 38,608 to 45,246 nights between 2017 and 2018 (+17%), continues to occupy first place with 13.18% of the overall volume, followed by Spain, whose number of overnight stays increased from 31,279 in 2017 to 31,370 in 2018, contributing to 9.14% of the overall volume of overnight stays in 2018.
Overnight stays by tourists from other tourist-generating countries also performed very well: +50% for the USA, +40% for Italy, +23% for China, +18% for Germany, +18% for Japan and +15% for Holland.
Concerning the types of accommodation occupied by visitors to Ouarzazate, out of the 343,216 overnight stays recorded at the end of October 2018, 4-star hotels accounted for 40.32% of overnight stays in the province with 138,404 overnight stays, 23.40% for 3-star hotels, 13.32% for 5-star hotels, 11.56% for guest houses, 4.09% for 2-star hotels, 3.35% for serviced flats and 2.46% for 1-star hotels.
The promotional operations jointly programmed by the Provincial Council of Tourism of Ouarzazate in partnership with the Moroccan National Tourist Office and the town council of Ouarzazate, notably through the hosting of about ten educational tours and press trips and the organisation of several entertainment events, have made it possible to enhance the image of Ouarzazate at the national and international levels.
Also, the strengthening of air services, particularly through the establishment in June 2017 of flights between Brussels and Ouarzazate and in November 2017 of an air connection from Marrakech as well as the direct link between Madrid and Ouarzazate since October 2018, have helped to attract thousands of visitors and to spread the image of Ouarzazate at the national and international level.
The local authorities, the municipality of Ouarzazate and the professionals in the tourism sector, who are satisfied with the results recorded, are aware of the importance of the sector as a driving force of the socio-economic development of the whole region and remain determined to multiply their efforts and actions in partnership with the Moroccan National Tourist Office and other partners, in view of the improvement of the connectivity of the destination and the improvements in the tourism product particularly as regards entertainment.
 

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