CONFERENCE PREVIEW The Travel Convention: Morocco is hoping that Abta’s first overseas convention since 2019 will give its


Djemaa el Fna square


Jamal Kilito


‘Convention is tremendous oppo T


he Morocco National Tourism Office (MNTO) sees Abta’s Travel Convention in October as


an unparalleled opportunity. Host city Marrakech will provide


the backdrop for the first overseas convention since 2019 and the first in Morocco since 2005. Jamal Kilito, MNTO director


for the UK, Ireland and Nordic markets, says: “The convention is a tremendous opportunity to meet the decision-makers of UK tourism. It gives us a strong voice to showcase Morocco’s variety, its different flavour but also its proximity.” He notes those who attend the


convention “all know Morocco – it won’t be a discovery. But it’s an opportunity for us to show the destination is changing, that it is every day more professional and better equipped in accommodation and services.” Kilito looks back to the 2005


convention, also held in Marrakech, as a key moment in developing the


16 21 JULY 2022


UK market to Morocco, saying: “It gave us great visibility. It helped us to double our UK visitor numbers in three to four years. The convention had that impact.” Now the MNTO hopes the


2022 convention will provide a boost that ensures annual UK visitor numbers pass one million. The UK currently ranks as


Morocco’s second most-important international market by value and number of overnight stays behind France, despite attracting just 600,000 UK visitors in 2019 compared with 4.2 million from France and 2.3 million from Spain. Kilito notes visitor numbers


“probably reached a threshold pre-Covid” and says: “We needed to reshape and broaden our targets.” So in April, the MNTO launched a multimedia international consumer campaign around the slogan ‘Morocco: Kingdom of Light’. In the UK, this saw ads on the


London Underground and on screens at Piccadilly Circus as well as


Morocco offers a


different world but at the same time great proximity. That is our strength.


videos online, and Kilito promises “a new wave” to come “targeted more at young people on social media”. The campaign, like the country,


offers broadly three types of tourism product, which Kilito identifies as culture, nature and activities. He argues: “Our medinas are


authentic, unique to Morocco and only three-and-a-half hours from the UK. They not only offer heritage but handicrafts, clothes and art. “We offer a variety of landscapes


– deserts, mountains, plains, coastline, two different seas – that are outstanding for people who like to be close to nature. We have a rich and diverse offering in terms of activities, beaches and sports with 3,500km of


coastline, access to the Atlantic and Mediterranean and watersports, golf, trekking, caving, hiking, fishing and hunting.” Kilito insists: “We are happy to


offer beaches, but Morocco doesn’t offer only beach product. We offer more than beaches.” Cultural tourism remains the


most important product, attracting about half of all visitors. Kilito notes UK visitors spend on average about three out of five nights in Marrakech. But he argues: “The key attraction of Morocco is the variety it offers – beaches, culture, activities, landscapes – all very different to what exists in the UK or Europe. “Morocco offers a different world


but at the same time great proximity. That is our strength.” He added: “We have many assets


– Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangier – and many good brands. The ‘tagine’ is a brand. The ‘kaftan’ is a brand. And we are among the oldest nations in the world.” Yet anyone who attended the


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