The Agadir Souss-Massa regional roadmap aims to attract five million tourists by 2026, by adopting projects linked to four thematic programs. The Regional Implementation Contract will mobilize a total envelope of around 1.78 billion dirhams, including 800 million dirhams by the ONMT.
The partnership agreement implementing the implementation of the deployment strategy of the 2023-2026 tourism roadmap, at the level of the Agadir Souss-Massa region, was validated at the beginning of the week by the members of the Regional Council, during the ordinary session of July 2024. It thus brings to seven the number of regional implementation contracts concluded at the national level. It is also part of an agenda consisting of 50 points in total.
It should be noted that this Regional Implementation Contract for the Tourism Roadmap by 2026 will mobilize a total envelope of around 1.78 billion dirhams. In detail, the contribution of the Souss-Massa Regional Council was set at 361 million dirhams. In addition, the largest sums were mobilized by the ONMT (800 million dirhams) and the SMIT (509 million dirhams), via the budget of the supervisory ministry. The other partners mobilized the equivalent of 110 million dirhams through nine programs and projects.
840 MDH for air travel and promotion
Referring to the nature of the programs and projects, it is clear that the program relating to the support of international air connection and the promotion of the tourist destination mobilized the largest envelope, namely 840 MDH including 40 MDH by the region and 800 MDH by the ONMT.
Added to this is the mechanism for the development of land plots to house tourist accommodation establishments that have not yet been built and hotels classified at a cost of 198 MDH by SMIT and 102 MDH by the region. It is followed by the project for the development of the Souss-Massa Natural Park (200 MDH), in addition to the program for the upgrading and development of 13 beaches in the region (169 MDH).
The other programs concern the support of tourist SMEs (100 MDH), the program for the rehabilitation of tourist sites in the hinterland (90 MDH), the upgrading and animation of the Agadir destination (40 MDH), the standardization of the visual identity of restaurants and businesses in Agadir (20 MDH) and support for rural tourism through the upgrading of rural accommodation establishments (21 MDH).
Five million tourists by 2026
The regional roadmap aims to attract five million tourists by 2026 by adopting projects related to four thematic programs. These are, first of all, the animation prerequisites and projects in the form of locomotives, in addition to the projects that will be carried out by the private sector and those, of a transversal nature, related to regulation, infrastructure, public services and/or the improvement of human capital, and intended to improve the animation of the destination.
In detail, this involves providing a seat capacity from the ONMT of 1.3 million tourists in 2024 (for 230 MDH); 1.5 million in 2025 (270 MDH by the ONMT during the same year); and 1.7 million in 2026 (300 MDH). It should also be noted that this new roadmap for the tourism sector for the period 2023-2026 aims to attract 17.5 million tourists in 2026 at the national level, through nine thematic sectors and five cross-cutting sectors.
Yassine Saber / ECO Inspirations
