© EuroMed@Change 2013 1 © EuroMed@Change 2013 2 Table of contents 1. Mediterranean overview...............................p.5 the Fondation Sophia Antipolis. ANIMA Investment Building EuroMed partnerships 2. Market trends and opportunities...................p.6 network provided its support for the proofreading This guide is a Doing business toolkit dedicated to (Manal Tabet), the FDI data (Zoé Luçon, Amina Ziane 3. Foreign direct investments..............................p.7 clusters, SMEs, or entrepreneurs interested in Cherif) and the layout (Lauriane Ammouche) 4. Key players.....................................................p.9 developing business partnerships in the tourism sector in Morocco. It provides an overview of the Disclaimer 5. Recent National policies.................................p.11 main opportunities available for the private sector, as This publication has been produced with the support 6. Selected programmes & initiatives...................p.13 well as concrete and useful data to those interested of the European Commission. The contents of this 7. Major business events....................................p.14 to go further (contacts, agenda of events, etc.). publication are the sole responsibility of Fondation ReferencesThe Mediterranean Business Guide, focus Sophia Antipolis and can under no circumstances be on Tourism in Morocco has been prepared by the regarded as reflecting the views of the European List of acronyms Fondation Sophia Antipolis under the Union. ANIMA-MIPO: Mediterranean Foreign Direct EuroMed@Change Project, a Preparatory Action Investments and partnerships announcements initiated by the European Parliament and Copyright Observatory implemented and managed by implemented by the European Commission (DG © EuroMed@Change May 2013. No part of this ANIMA Enterprise and Industry). publication may be reproduced without express . FDI: Foreign Direct Investment EuroMed@Change proposes new dynamics for SME authorisation. All rights reserved. and cluster internationalisation between Europe and 4 . MED10 countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, targeted partner countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Lebanon. It is managed by four organisations Turkey. from across Europe (ANIMA Investment network as . CAGR: Compound annual growth rate Project leader, the European Business Innovation Centre Network, INNO AG and the Fondation Sophia Antipolis as partners) and it coordinates with more than 45 associated regional business, finance and innovation networks. Authors This Business guide has been prepared by Jean-Noël Durvy, with contributions from Nadège Bouget from © EuroMed@Change 2013 4 Mediterranean Overview A challenging context accessible, ready and able to receive visitors. It is also for the environment and culture of the people of the Tourism is vital for the economy of most South and important to have a diversified tourism product to cater territories, which leads to the need to establish a true East Mediterranean countries. It accounts for an to different customer segments and motivations. environmental policy: sustainable tourism taking into essential part of the GDP, and, as a very labour Business and MICE tourism act as good support and account economic, social and environmental impacts. buffer to downturns in the leisure tourism segment. intensive activity, generates a significant number of Health and wellness tourism jobs. It also has a strong ripple effect on other Sustainable tourism productive sectors such as agriculture, industry and Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt have a services. The development of sustainable tourism appears to be great potential for medical and wellness tourism. a priority for Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Health tourism comprises all travel activities for a wide Mediterranean tourism (Southern Europe included) has Lebanon, in particular with the development of range of health and wellbeing purposes such as grown from 58 million international arrivals in 1970 to ecotourism. With 46,000 km of coastline, the number of healthcare, health assessment, surgery and operation, 306 million in 2012 according to the World Tourism tourists in the Mediterranean basin is 80% plastic surgeries, beauty, healing, cure, rehabilitation, Organization. The Mediterranean is one of the world’s concentrated on the coast. Sustainability of convalescence, combined with leisure, recreational and leading tourism markets with approximately 30% of Mediterranean tourism goes through the diversification cultural activities at the visited destination. Tunisia is international arrivals for more than 40 years. of the tourism offer, valuing the Mediterranean already well established in this sector aiming for strong International tourism generated €4.3 billion of revenue diversity: ecotourism, cultural, urban, rural and growth, compared to Lebanon and Egypt. Egypt is across the Mediterranean Basin in 1970. In 2011, it religious tourism. Moreover, since some years now, a considered has a new entrant, will face severe generated €174 billion of revenue, a multiplication by a change in customer behaviour has been registered. competition. factor of 40 compared to 1970. Indeed, the increase in number of “short” holidays For the last two decades, the eleven countries of the favour trips to closer destinations while the emergence Southern Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, of theme trips (ecotourism) and targeted tourist activity Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and such as hiking, golf has boosted new forms of tourism Turkey) have recorded the highest growth rate in offers. The tourism market is therefore more inbound world tourism. In the same period, domestic segmented and retaining tourists have become a very tourism also increased rapidly. This trend came to an difficult task. In order to give a boost to their tourism abrupt halt in early 2011 during the Arab Spring industry, the MED countries have therefore to adapt turmoil, but seems to resume in 2012 and 2013. their products to new customer expectations, work on Political uncertainty has the potential to impact their competitive differentiation and identify negatively on visitors’ perceptions. Swift development priorities. The new trends for the implementation of a communications response is crucial development of tourism can enrol into the context of to reassure tourists that the destination is safe, responsible tourism which is characterised by a respect © EuroMed@Change 2013 5 © EuroMed@Change 2013 6 Market Trends and Opportunities An exponential growth being rather underdeveloped, Morocco is gaining some regional centres will develop environmentally-friendly Tourism in Morocco is well developed, with a strong leverage and reputation in one key area: plastic tourism, promoting Morocco's national heritage, nature tourist industry focused on the country's coast, culture, surgery. Clinics in the affluent districts of Rabat are the sites, and offering activities focused on sports and well- and history. Morocco has been one of the most politically most popular for this type of medical tourism. The being. Morocco has been nominated to be the President stable countries in North Africa, which has allowed clientele on the other hand mainly comprises tourists of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism in tourism to develop. from the region and Moroccan expatriates who travel 2013. Some categories are emerging as key areas for growth. back home to seek medical treatment. Prices in Hiking, horse-riding, paragliding, green tourism, crafts, These include golf and sports tourism in general, Morocco are highly competitive, at 20% of the average interaction with the local population, guest houses, etc. eco-tourism and health and wellness tourism prices in Europe and the US. This has started to create have proved to be very popular with European tourists, a buzz among international tourists as well in recent particularly those from France, Germany, Great Britain Sports tourism, a developing niche years, as Morocco upgrades its facilities to cater to a and Scandinavian countries. Morocco is also seeing a Golf tourism is being leveraged as a strong revenue growing number of medical tourists. The health and growing Russian clientele, which is appreciative of both generator given the profile of this category’s targeted wellness category is expected to see a 6% constant luxury and authenticity. This wealthy class of tourists customers, who are generally high spenders. The natural value CAGR over the forecast period, to reach Euro 0.8 will choose for example to spend the end-of-year environment in Morocco is not only ideal for the billion in 2016, most of which will continue to be holidays camping in the middle of the desert, in a five development of large golf courts, but also for sports such generated by spas. Medical tourism is expected to star setting. as skiing and trekking in areas such as the Atlas grow at a faster rate with a 6% CAGR, slightly higher mountains, which are also interesting areas to exploit. than the growth predicted for spas. However, this niche remains relatively low in value. More promotional Health and wellness efforts by the government are expected to help boost “Sustainable tourism is booming in Morocco, Health and wellness tourism is also a growing medical tourism, and this goes hand-in-hand with a and is the only sector of the industry that niche, fuelled by the rising number of resort and hotel national vision to improve healthcare services in this