Abdelatif Kabbaj, President, National Confederation of Tourism: Interview

Interview: Abdelatif Kabbaj

What are the challenges that need to be faced if the country is to achieve the objectives of the Vision 2020 strategy for tourism development?

ABDELATIF KABBAJ: Vision 2020 plans to place Morocco among the top 20 destinations in the world. We have the assets and the potential to achieve this, but we will first need to address some constraining factors.

We must develop our offering, as cultural tourism currently accounts for most of the sector’s activities. We need to invest further in seaside facilities to reach the goal of attracting 20m tourists by 2020, and to enhance air links and overall connectivity. There is also a pressing need to expand bed capacity. The average occupation rate in Morocco is 43% and this differs widely from one region to another. For example, in Marrakech the rate is around 54%. Some 356 weekly flights connect the city, but 500 are necessary for the destination to realise its full potential. Finally, we need to give new value to the country’s image in order to attract further investments into the sector.

What measures can be taken to strengthen the competitiveness of the sector?

KABBAJ : We need to start by strengthening connectivity by improving both national and international air links. At present, our national carrier is focused on reinforcing its position as a regional hub connecting Africa, rather than on meeting the current needs of the Moroccan tourism sector. If we are to remain competitive, we need companies capable of facing international competition. We also need to tackle the informal activities that are present throughout the sector, and which we hope to see reduced by the new classification mechanism being rolled out. In addition, we need to implement a solid strategy to develop domestic tourism, which has huge potential, and assist the Moroccan National Tourism Office’s promotional efforts.

Improving the online presence of our national operators and encouraging them to adopt appropriate web strategies is also something we need to work on for heightened visibility. Finally, we need to decentralise marketing strategies. Instead of making all the regional campaigns at a national level, we should improve consultation with and create local marketing campaigns at a regional level.

How can better collaboration between public and private operators be achieved?

KABBAJ: Negotiations between the authorities and sector professionals have met with much controversy, leading to delays in the implementation of the various commitments rolled out under Vision 2020. We are establishing regional authorities to help carry out the multiple contract programmes that target the development of eight regions over the next three years, through public-private partnerships that unite local authorities and sector professionals. We are also working on establishing a High Authority for Tourism. Moreover, tourism today involves a wide array of other activities, such as agriculture and internal affairs, and therefore represents a real sustainable economic and social driver that can contribute to the overall development of the country.

How can the government help ensure that operators have access to project financing?

KABBAJ: The state needs to provide operators with the necessary financial assistance. Times of rapid tourism development often coincide with the state intervening with incentives and low-interest loans. Hotel construction is costly, and return on the investment can take up to 15 years. It is therefore a high priority that the government assists investors with low-interest loans. High interest rates put our national operators at a disadvantage in terms of competitiveness. A positive action from the government would be to increase the duration of treasury bonds. This would allow the banks to obtain refinancing, and to provide loans of longer duration. The banking sector needs to be further encouraged to lend to tourism entrepreneurs.