Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 10:55 p.m.
Paris – It was at the International & French Travel Market (IFTM) – Top Résa in Paris, one of the major events of the tourism industry in France and Europe, which opened its doors on Tuesday, that Morocco made its presence felt to reveal the richness and diversity of the national tourism offering in all its facets.
The Moroccan pavilion, ideally located in the heart of the Show (September 17-19), brings together 28 exhibitors, representing public and private tourism players in the Kingdom, RAM, regional and provincial tourism centers, travel agencies and hotel groups, which operate together to offer “very broad visibility” to Morocco as a whole, with its many assets.
Carefully designed by the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT), the Morocco stand was very well attended, both by individuals and professionals interested in partnerships and business opportunities with national exhibitors.
It occupies an impressive surface area of 300m2, to which are added two spaces for the regions in the spotlight which are “Dakhla” and “Fez-Meknes”, for a total of 490m2. “Two destinations in the spotlight important for the development of the Morocco destination in France and to support existing air connections”, according to the ONMT.
“Our participation in this event aims to promote the tourist attractions of the region and the city of Dakhla, which is now one of the major international destinations, both in terms of tourism and sport,” said in a statement to MAP, the president of the Provincial Tourism Council of Oued Eddahab, Othmane Amar.
“Dakhla is particularly renowned for kitesurfing, but also for business tourism and the organization of conferences,” he continued.
And to specify that this great tourism event was an opportunity to establish numerous contacts with tourism players, both national and international.
The 46th edition of this international fair, held under the theme “New sustainable horizons, let’s unite our responsibilities”, was a great opportunity for several operators from the Fez-Meknes region to promote this magnificent historical region,” said, for his part, the president of the Fez-Meknes Regional Tourism Council (CRT), Ahmed Sentissi.
“Fez is the spiritual, religious and cultural capital of the Kingdom, a true open-air museum, with its restored imperial monuments, an exceptional heritage that we were able to highlight during this important international tourist event,” he said.
It was an opportunity to share with our visitors the wealth of these treasures, as well as our museums and historical sites, Mr. Sentissi told MAP.
“We also had the opportunity to meet our institutional partners and explore new partnerships with French airports and airlines, with the aim of expanding air links to our region. This will allow us to increase the visibility of Fez-Meknes and attract more tourists,” he continued.
Abdel Fattah Belaouni, a hotel exhibitor from Marrakech at the show, told MAP that “the experience was very rich”. “We exchanged with many partners, both national and international, and established new partnerships with players for our activity in Morocco,” he said.
“We also provided visitors to the stand with information and clarifications about the Marrakech destination, as well as our hotel, highlighting its potential and the services we offer. We also had the opportunity to explore the new technologies in the hotel sector present here,” he noted.
The show was also an opportunity to award Morocco a prestigious distinction by the Arabian Tourism Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting tourism in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
The Kingdom was thus elected “best destination of the year 2024”, a distinction awarded to Jihad Chakib, ONMT delegate in Paris following a vote by travel agents during the second edition of the Tourism Trophies of Arab Countries of the World, which was held under the theme “For a better quality of service”.
At the heart of the Show, the ONMT also managed to capture the attention of visitors with the “Arena by Maroc Terre de Lumière”, a large space dedicated in particular to institutional and inspirational conferences with barometers and trend conferences, in the style of round tables.
“IFTM Top Resa” is one of the important events of the tourism industry in France and the European continent. It presents a 360-degree vision of travel, covering all travel reasons (leisure, business and events). It is the only B2B trade show that brings together all the professionals of the Tourism industry in Paris every year.
With 1,400 brands present, 170 international destinations as well as 90 conferences and debates, IFTM Top Resa offers a complete immersion in the world of travel to highlight the entire chain of expertise of the market. In 2023, the show recorded 30,349 professional visitors (compared to 29,475 in 2022).
