Tourism 2024: The projected end of ONMT

Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor took the opportunity of presenting her budget for 2024 to the House of Representatives’ Productive Sectors Committee to announce the imminent phasing out of the ONMT (Moroccan National Tourist Office). The Minister plans to transform this Office into a Moroccan Tourism Agency in early 2024.

The aim is to create a structure serving the Government’s tourism promotion strategy. The Agency will be equipped with the resources it needs to carry out its missions effectively, while strengthening the competitiveness of Morocco as an international destination. There is no doubt that the hosting in Morocco of soccer competitions such as the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2025 and the World Cup in 2030 will contribute to the implementation of this strategy and the promotion of our country’s image. In the same vein, the Ministry’s 2024 action plan calls for the repositioning of the Tourism Observatory to renew and develop its working tools. The aim is to broaden its reach to obtain the elements needed for monitoring and decision-making on a global scale.

During her presentation, the Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts reviewed the measures taken to cope with the effects of the Al Haouz earthquake. To this end, 711 million dirhams (USD 71 million) have been mobilized to rehabilitate the 767 damaged hotel units. Of this total, 438 units are located in the province of Marrakech, 160 in Al Haouz, 159 in Ouarzazate, and 10 in Taroudant. Other measures include the reinforcement of socio-economic development in the affected areas. A total of 152 future projects have been identified, including 32 tourist accommodation establishments and as many sports and leisure clubs.

There are also 28 exhibition and sales areas, 17 entertainment projects, and 15 catering projects. In terms of location, 63 projects are in the province of Al Haouz, 54 in Taroudant, 14 in Ouarzazate, 12 in Azilal, and 9 in Chichaoua.

The number of tourists coming to Morocco reached 11.1 million, up 44% compared to the same period in 2022. The same upward trend was recorded in terms of overnight stays in tourist accommodation establishments, which reached 19.4 million, an increase of almost 46%.

In addition, the Ministry continued its efforts to encourage tourism investment and product development through the Moroccan Tourism Engineering Corporation (SMIT). As a result, the volume of investment is gradually returning to the levels seen in previous years.

Mohamed CHAOUI