In its newsstand publication this Friday, La Vie Eco focuses on cultural tourism, which has great potential in Morocco. According to the newspaper, 40% of tourists around the world choose a destination based on its cultural offer.
It is obvious that improving the Moroccan cultural offer becomes crucial. “Morocco has 216 historic sites and monuments classified at the national level, 50% of which are visited by tourists. As a result, some are not being exploited. A total of 19 sites are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture. But many are still under the responsibility of the Ministry of Habous, Finance or National Education,” says Neila Tazi, president of the CGEM’s Federation of Cultural and Creative Industries.
It should be noted that in terms of flows, historic sites attracted 1.5 million visitors, 20% of whom were Chinese during the first months of the current year, an increase of 155%. Neila Tazi indicated that these sites brought in 180 million DH in 2018 and that the turnover is increasing thanks in particular to the increase in prices of the tariffs decided by the Ministry of Culture.
In terms of museums, Morocco has 80 private and public museums, 14 of which are under the responsibility of the National Museums Foundation.
“Public policies must be guided in order to establish a vision for cultural tourism and the creative industries. A sustainable cultural and tourism policy only pays off after 20 to 25 years, according to an OECD study in 2009. This is the case of the Gnaoua Festival for Essaouira. But it is necessary to put culture in the fast track,” concludes Neila Tazi.
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