Airtours has returned to Morocco for winter 2000 after an absence of five years, positioning the country’s beaches as a winter sun alternative to the Canary Islands.
Director of sales, marketing and development Ed Sims said: “We pulled out at the time because Morocco lost its price advantage. In the winter sun stakes, the Canaries dominate, but now there’s really no price difference between them. ”
The company’s lead price for winter 2000 is £249 for seven nights in three-star, self-catering accommodation in the country’s main beach resort, Agadir.
If clients book before the end of March they can have the same holiday for £224. This compares with Airtours’ lead price of £250 for seven nights in Lanzarote.
Sims aims to replicate the success Airtours has had with its other North African destination, Tunisia, where it takes thousands of clients every year.
If successful, this could radically increase the annual 140,000 British head count to Morocco.
Moroccan National Tourist Office director UK and Ireland Ali El Kasmi said: “It is a huge exposure for us. Airtours has distributed four million brochures and it has a massive distribution network via Going Places and Advantage Travel Centres.”
Besides being value for money, Airtours’ Sims is confident Morocco is now a hassle-free destination.
“There have been publicised cases of British holidaymakers being hassled so we sent our own teams over to sample the product as a customer would.
“We have also had reassurances from the tourist office that things have changed for the better,” he said.
Airtours’ winter 2000 brochure features four three-star hotels in the country’s only purpose-built resort, Agadir. The company’s second-edition brochure, due out next month, will have an extra three mid-market properties in Agadir.
It will also offer twin-centre product, packaging seven nightsin the resort with seven nights in Marrakech, for clients that also want to experience the country’s more traditional offerings.