In an attempt to conquer the Brazilian market, the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) is showcasing Morocco's attractiveness as a travel destination, with a view to draw more tourists and boost its share of the highly promising tourism market.
As such, the second edition of Brazil's Travel Next Minas, held on August 16-17, brought together over 5,000 industry professionals at the Expominas BH Exhibition Center in the State of Minas Gerais (southeast of Brazil).
Morocco and Brazil are committed to boosting their tourism flows by benefiting of the potential and richness of their respective cultures, especially since the Brazilian tourism market offers significant growth potential, thanks to a pool of consumers with strong purchasing power and a middle class that is gradually expanding.
With a population of 203 million, “Brazil is the main home country of tourists from South America to Morocco" (about 50,000 tourists each year), Mohamed Amine El Joudani, country manager of ONMT's recently-launched Sao Paulo branch pointed out.
With the resumption starting December 7 of direct Casablanca-Sao Paulo flights operated by Morocco's flag-career Royal Air Maroc through Thursday-Tuesday-Saturday services, the official stated that these flights should significantly increase the flow of Brazilian tourists.
“Our ambition is to double Brazilian trourist numbers to 100,000 over the next three years," he told MAP.
To ensure the success of this expansion, El Joudani stressed the importance of training Brazilian travel agents, pointing out that the ONMT has been working closely with leading tour operators, such as Diversa, Abreu and Orinter, to promote Morocco as a destination among industry professionals.
In addition to direct travel, the aim is to put Morocco on the map as an alternative destination by benfiting of tourist flows to Europe, in particular Portugal and Spain, especially as Brazilians are captivated by the Kingdom's thousand-year-old history, rich culture and gastronomy, he concluded.
