| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 04/09/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 55 |
| Copyright: Other |
MOROCCO
As a location for several Hollywood films, Morocco has attracted a lot of attention, making it the ‘in’ place to go.
At the Moroccan Tourist Office in London, trade and media officer Aziz Mnii confirmed that the UK is now his country’s fourth biggest overseas market, with 145,000 arrivals last year, up 26% on 1998.“Morocco has enjoyed a lot of media coverage in the past few years, featuring in films such as Gladiator and Hideous Kinky. And there’s the growing popularity of Moroccan cuisine in Britain. It helps that Morocco has become very trendy here,” said Mnii.
Now the tourist board is promoting the country’s capital Fes as an alternative to the more popular Marrakesh.
Fes is a three-and-a-half hour flight from Heathrow via Casablanca, though the tourist board is trying to persuade Royal Air Maroc to start direct flights.
Cadogan managing director Gary David said of the country’s new found popularity: “Several years ago, Morocco got the name of offering high volume, cheap and nasty holidays but that has all changed now. In the past 18 months, it has become the real ‘in’ place and everyone is writing about it.
“There has also been a lot of investment in the country’s golf courses in the past two years. It has staged several world-class tournaments.”
Sovereign product manager for cities and short breaks Sheena Paton said the operator has featured Marrakesh as a short-break destination for five years and although a popular choice, there are no plans to extend the programme to include other Moroccan cities.
On average, Sovereign’s clients stay three or four nights in Marrakesh and visit mostly for its historical and cultural attractions, as well as for the shopping and atmosphere of its lively street markets.
Based on scheduled flights from Gatwick to Marrakesh with either Royal Air Maroc or GB Airways, two nights’ bed and breakfast at a three-star hotel leads in from £329.
Prestige Holidays deputy managing director John Dixon said the operator has seen a small increase for bookings to Morocco for this summer, although he was clear that the shoulder seasons are the most popular times to visit.
Prestige’s Morocco programme features a selection of four and five-star hotels in two contrasting resorts, Agadir and Marrakesh.
A seven-night stay at the five-star Sheraton Marrakesh leads in from £519 per person including scheduled flights and transfers.
Making the most of Morocco’s increasing popularity as a film location, Panorama Holidays has begun including visits to recent movie locations as part of two separate desert safari trips.
Best suited to clients staying in either Agadir or Marrakesh, these safaris are added on to existing seven or 14-night stays and usually cost an extra £299 per person. Clients are taken by mini bus or Land Rover in to the Atlas Mountains, the Todra Gorges, Erfoud and to the edge of the Sahara Desert.
Panorama sales and marketing director Martin Young said: “Our desert safaris are selling strongly and with the growing number of Hollywood productions being filmed in North Africa, there is an added appeal.”
The safaris are only bookable prior to the holiday.
And although First Choice does not feature Morocco at all, Airtours has reintroduced the country for this winter after an absence of five years.
Marketing manager Brendan Fox said it would be an exciting addition to the short-haul winter and summer programme. Airtours will fly to Agadir weekly out of Gatwick and Manchester. Seven nights’ self-catering leads in at £224 per person.
Real Morocco:Fes is the country’s main Islamic city and operators are keen to promote it as an alternative to Marrakesh