NEW DELHI: Morocco would be soon opening its first tourism office in New Delhi, the country’s tourism minister Mohammed Sajid has said. Morocco, which currently has Indian tourist footfall of around 15,000, aims to touch the 40,000-mark by 2019.
“India is a very big country. However, there was low number of foreign tourists from India to Morocco in recent years. We have a lot of similarities with India in terms of culture and development,” said Sajid. Â “Both countries have a very diverse tourist sector that is rooted in their civilizations. We can also learn a lot from each other’s tourism sector as it is a very strategic sector that can create jobs,” he added.
He added that a tourism agreement has been signed with India. “We are also going to sign an agreement on air transport with Air India,” he said at an event organized to announce the opening of the office. However, the location and date of opening of the office has not been decided yet, a senior Moroccon diplomat said.
“The office will help us understand what Indian tourists are looking for. The office will not only serve as a platform to promote tourism but also give professional information to various stakeholders,” the official said. The office would be the first in south Asia, second in Asia (after Beijing). A total of 17 such tourism offices of Morocco are present around the world, the diplomat added.
With 7 per cent GDP growth rate, rising personal income levels, changing lifestyles, huge middle class, availability of low-cost airfares and diverse travel packages, India is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world, said Adel El Fakir, director general of Moroccan National Tourist Office. “Indian tourists are among the world’s highest-spending globetrotters. Their spending power has been estimated to be four times that of the Chinese and Japanese which justifies the need for a planned strategic campaign for Morocco in India,” he said. PTI
