The concentration of investments by global hotel industry majors in the Kingdom is particularly worrying in the Canary Islands
Tourism. The figures on Moroccan tourism performance do not only make people happy. The Iberian neighbor is starting to seriously worry about the hotel boom observed in Morocco where significant investments are announced. Lighting.
Alert in the Canary Islands. This is one of the headlines in the Spanish press in recent days commenting on the performance of the hotel industry in North Africa. In this region, one actor stands out. It is obviously Morocco which is starting to seriously overshadow the destination Spain in general and the Canary Islands in particular in terms of investments. The five major global hotel chains such as Accor, Hilton, Intercontinental (IHG), Marriott and Radisson are focusing on the development of tourism in the region with the announcement of the development of 361 hotels in the coming years. If destinations like Egypt or Tunisia are affected by the plans of international hotel chains, Morocco captures a good part of the announced openings. Of the 361 hotels, no less than 161 establishments are planned in the Kingdom.
For the Spanish press, the new openings announced will allow the destination Morocco to increase its litter capacity by 100,000 new beds. It must be said that announcements from large hotel groups are increasing for the Morocco destination. This is the case of the Accor Group which announced at the beginning of 2024 a new plan for the opening of around ten new hotels in Moroccan tourist cities over two years. For the occasion, the group organized a trip for Moroccan journalists to meet Patrick Mendes, general manager of Accor for Europe and North Africa, at the group’s headquarters in Paris.
The latter plans to sign management contracts for hotels already operational or hotels under construction with the introduction or return to Morocco of new brands from the French group such as Mercure, Tribe and Handwritten mainly in important tourist destinations in Kingdom like Dakhla, Tangier, Ouarzazate and Fez. For its part, the American hotel group Radisson displays its ambition to double its presence in Morocco. The group plans to increase its current portfolio of 11 establishments, between active hotels and projects in development, to 25 units by 2030.
This strategy led to the expansion of the responsibilities of Erwan Garnier, senior development director, now including Morocco. “The main objective lies in strengthening our presence in Casablanca and Marrakech, where we already manage the Radisson Blu Hotel, Casablanca City Center, as well as the renowned Radisson Blu Hotel, Marrakech Carré Eden. In addition, we plan to establish ourselves in the strategic cities of Rabat, Tangier, Agadir and Fez,” indicated the senior director of development for Africa within the Radisson Hotel Group. And to specify that “as part of our five-year plan and in anticipation of the 2030 FIFA World Cup in Morocco, these cities represent considerable potential for the development of a diversified portfolio, including ideally located business hotels, serviced apartments, high-end mixed-use projects and the expansion of our offering into exceptional hotel complexes.
Spanish groups too
The development of the hotel industry in Morocco has reached such a level that even Spanish groups are getting involved. Thus, Barceló Hotel Group, which has operated in Morocco since 2006, announced a few months ago an investment of more than 80 million euros in the acquisition and future renovation of two 5-star hotels in Casablanca and Rabat, formerly marketed under the Farah brand, offering 279 and 192 rooms respectively. Introducing the luxury brand Royal Hideaway in Morocco, the Iberian group should soon be present in the country through its four brands: Royal Hideaway, Barceló, Occidental and Allegro.
On this occasion, the CEO of the EMEA region of the said group, Raúl González, said: “Our objective is to continue to develop in the country and to add new hotels to our portfolio, mainly 4 and 5 star establishments, both in the vacation segment and in the urban segment, where we are already present, as well as in new destinations. For its part, the Spanish group Hotusa, through its hotel chain Eurostars Hotel Company, has just announced the opening of three hotels in Morocco in 2024 and 2025. The first hotel, the Eurostars Casa Anfa, located in the new hub of Casablanca, will open its doors in the fall, the group said in a press release.
The chain also plans to open the Eurostars Californie in the same city at the end of 2024 and the Exe Zerktouni in mid-2025, which will bring the total number of rooms offered to 251, added the same Source. The three establishments, all newly built, are located in strategic areas of the city, notes Hotusa. “Morocco thus becomes the twentieth country in which the Eurostars Hotel Company chain is present, expanding its international portfolio of establishments in leading tourist areas,” underlined the group. “The upcoming openings in Casablanca constitute the first step in our growth plan in North Africa, one of the chain’s main areas of international interest, along with Western Europe, the United States and Latin America” , declared the president of the Hotusa group, Amancio López, quoted in the press release.
Tourist operators are attracted by the country’s good performance in the field. Tourist arrivals in Morocco reached 3.3 million people at the end of the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 12.8% compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the Directorate of Financial Studies and Forecasts (DEPF). “For the start of 2024, the main indicators of the tourism sector (arrivals and overnight stays) continue their momentum. Indeed, the flow of arrivals to the destination “Morocco” increased by 12.8% at the end of the first quarter of 2024, driven by the performances of March, February and January 2024 (respectively +10.2, +17, 9 and +10.4%),” indicates the DEPF in its recent economic report.
By segment, this progression is due to the increase in the number of arrivals of foreign tourists of 15.4% and that of Moroccans living abroad (MRE) of 9.8%, specifies the same Source. Compared to the first quarter of 2019, the volume of arrivals in Morocco was consolidated by 31.6%, reports the DEPF.
Global 2030
Mobilization. The Minister of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, assured that her department is fully mobilized to welcome the teams and the public in the best conditions during the 2030 World Cup. soccer. “As a tourism department, the challenge lies in the accommodation capacity for both FIFA teams and the public,” she underlined in a statement to the press following a meeting expanded as part of the preparations for the organization of the 2030 World Cup and devoted to coordination between all the ministerial departments concerned, to the establishment of a unified system of joint collective action and to the realization of an integrated roadmap. The minister further indicated that this meeting saw the participation of all the departments concerned by the organization of the 2030 World Cup, as well as territorial officials in order to determine in particular the needs. The departments concerned “will work with a team spirit, hand in hand, in order to be ready already for the application file in July, but also for the hosting of this event which will allow Morocco to shine in the international level,” concluded the minister.
