In another step towards meeting Morocco's goal of seeing 20 million tourists by 2020, a number of projects have been unveiled that aim to boost visitor numbers from Europe and private investment opportunities , particularly in coastal areas, Global Arab Network reports according to OBG. In the last week of June, Ali Ghannam, the president of the National Federation of Tourism, said that Vision 2020, launched in 2001, and its mission to double the number of tourists from 9.35m in 2011 to 20m by 2020, making Morocco one of the top-20 tourist destinations in the world, has been given new impetus with a focus on private sector involvement. Vision 2020 examines all the elements that impact tourism development, including financing, infrastructure, aviation and taxes. While the government is financing a large part of Vision 2020 through the Moroccan Funds for Tourism Development (FMDT), the banking sector has also contributed €1.3bn to the project. The plan partners with the private sector to advance improvements in the aforementioned areas, while paying special attention to the development of sustainable tourism. So far, six structural programs have been defined as part of the overall effort, including the “animation, sport and leisure" section, which is targeted at adding infrastructure to the seaside, and the “Heritage and Legacy" development, a program that seeks to emphasize Morocco's cultural identity and heritage. If the government and its private partners succeed in implementing Vision 2020, tourism's contribution to GDP should more than double from Dh60bn (€5.3bn) at present to Dh140bn (€12.4bn) in 2020, local media said when reporting the plan. Morocco is also looking outside of its national borders for partners to boost the tourism industry. In early July, 80 entrepreneurs and tourism agencies gathered in Almería, Spain to discuss a new public-private collaboration between Spain and Morocco known as Nexotour. Nexotour seeks to develop a new tourism space between eastern Andalucía and Morocco, focusing in particular on the towns of Grenada, Málaga, and Almería in Spain and the regions of Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate, Oujda-Angad, and Nador in Morocco. The Spanish organizations behind Nexotour include the Chambers of Commerce in Almería and Málaga, along with Andalucía's Chamber Counsel and the government of Granada. The program has received 75 percent of its funding, or €67m, from the EU Regional Development Funds under the guise of the Spanish Transborder-Foreign Border Cooperation Program (Poctefex). For the rest, Nexotour will be partnering with a variety of private firms to support the development of joint tourism products. The initiative's management committee is currently searching for wholesale tour operators, restaurants, hotels, and tourism professionals that are interested in getting involved. Nexotour may also help to boost the number of European tourists visiting Morocco in particular. Morocco's Ministry of Tourism recently reported a 6 percent decline in the number of overnight stays in 2011, a drop felt more acutely in major tourist towns like Marrakech and Agadir, down 9 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Some of the biggest drops in overnight stays in Morocco were experienced among French and Spanish visitors, whose overnight stays decreased by 16 percent and 25 percent, respectively. The rise and fall of Morocco's tourism sector directly impacts the wider economy. Tourism comprises nearly 10% of GDP, employs an estimated 470,000 people, and is a significant source of foreign exchange currency. In the period from 2001 to 2010, the country reached 90% of government targets, accumulating revenue of €39bn, with the cities of Marrakech and Agadir becoming top destinations for European travelers. While 20 million visitors by 2020 is a difficult goal, given the economic woes of its northern neighbors, Morocco seems up to the challenge, with the strong support of the government, the private sector, and even new international partners. It is also worth noting that in 2000, the country saw only 4m visitors, according to the UN. Logic follows that if Morocco could charm more than 6m additional visitors in the 10 years leading up to 2010, 10 million more by 2020 is not out of reach.
