Tourism, in our modern cultures, conceptually means the practice of travelling for reaction, discovering, learning culturally and spiritually. In recent years, Tourism has come to be regarded as a promising sector for both local and national economies. Also, it has been pictured as an economic activity par excellence that could accelerate the development of any country, particularly in north Africa.
In fact, Tourism is a priceless activity for those countries that are neither industrial nor oil-productive as it is the main source of foreign currency. As far as Tourism is concerned, it has defined many countries around the world, including the Kingdom of morocco. The latter has been recently a favorite destination for tourists across the globe, especially for Europeans and natives of some Arab gulf countries.
Morocco’s investments focus mainly on the country’s coastline, culture, and history. Therefore, I am not concerned with plans, strategies or statistics, but rather with the main sources of attraction. My question is what are the reasons behind these huge investments that morocco has achieved and launched few years ago? As a Moroccan citizen and as a matter of interest, I would simply refer to two things: The geographical position and some other components of culture.
Morocco is known by its 3500 km of coastlines that include many miraculous sandy beaches, by its unique Mediterranean climate and multicultural population. All these characteristics allowed to the Eco-tourism to be one of the most appealing types of tourism in Morocco. This form of tourism involves visiting some wonderful natural resources. And one of its goals is to offer insights into the impact of Moroccan people on the nature. The most popular Eco-Tours in Morocco are the ones that take place in the Sahara desert as tourists like travelling across the expensive sandy dunes of the desert visiting the Berber and the other communities.
Eco-Tourism, also, involves trips to the cities where tourists enjoy the coast sea by practicing some relaxing activities such as, swimming, sunbathing, surfing, jet-skiing, wind-surfing and many other enjoyable activities. The best example to mention here is the miraculous sandy beach of Agadir city. The latter is the main coastal resort and it is the main path to the Atlas Mountains, too.
Moreover, it is well known that the architectural heritage of Morocco is characterized by its wealth and diversity that make for an outstanding heritage. There is a very wide variety of architectures ranging from ancient times to the different historical periods; before and after Islam. Several ancient cities such as Fez, Walilly, Marrakech and Tangier are still active today and they are important regional centers as well as the main capital cities. Furthermore, Morocco is a country which has been quite active in its economic development compared with some other countries in the north of Africa. It is a country which steadily progressing towards the great democratization, modernization, globalization and especially stabilization.
Thus, Tourism will always remain as aspect that will define many countries across the world, including The Kingdom of Morocco. To some extent, Morocco is a tourist attraction par excellence. The secret behind its attractiveness in the domain of tourism refers back to the geographical position. As we know, Morocco is located in the northwest of Africa continent and it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on the north and the Atlantic Ocean on the west; and it is a country with great diversity and exquisite beauty with rich cultural heritage.
Mohammed Imlil.
Mohamed IMLIL an English language teacher working in the private sector. He obtained his Bachelor Degree at Ibn Zoher University, Agadir, Morocco. He conducted a research on “language,culture and thought” and he is a keen-on linguist!
