Casablanca-Settat: How CRT plans to reach 5 million tourists in 2030

Members of the Casablanca-Settat CRT, who want to support the ministers’ road map, whose content will soon be made public, must present their program of the same name next April to develop their region over the next seven years and in the endBy 2030, the number of visitors will reach 5 million.

According to Othman Cherif Alami, president of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Tourism Council (CRT), after ten years of extensive infrastructure work in Greater Casablanca, a challenge is emerging that allows the city to be completely transformed and transformed. regional mobility according to international standards.

“The city has undergone a complete transformation, with tram lines and a bus fleet that is the most efficient in Africa, bunkers, roundabouts and roads that facilitate urban and regional mobility, highway junctions and finally the train stations Casa. -Port and Casa-Voyageurs”, shows Othman Cherif Alami.

“A cruise port that will bring 500,000 tourists annually”

“A huge 600-meter long cruise bridge has been added here. This will make Casablanca the capital of Africa for cruise passengers. The exclusive terminal will allow visitors to be received at the stops as well as passengers to embark. Moroccans, invite yourself to a cruise in the Mediterranean region or further in the Pacific.” , explains the man who leads the Atlas Voyages group.

A tourism building that is missing and must be inaugurated soon before it can receive cruise ships from all over the world for a capacity of at least 500,000 cruise passengers.

“Cultural offer in line with the expectations of foreign guests”

As for cultural offerings, the city now has a large theater, a new corniche next to the Hassan II Mosque, one of the most visited monuments by foreigners, a huge shopping center, and the enviable Morocco Mall. From Dubai…

Finally, a completely restored Medina with many craft shops, not to mention the project to organize a great cultural event every weekend in the city to attract Casablancans and visitors from other regions.

In addition, around twenty new establishments with a capacity of 50 to 150 rooms, whose construction has been delayed due to the pandemic, should break ground in 2024, which will allow for a revival of tourism investments in 2024. stopped in two crisis years.

“These previously non-existent or insufficient activities will support the hotel offer, which continues to grow with the arrival of the luxurious Royal Mansour hotel, which will give a new attraction to the city park,” Alami advances. According to him, all these assets will not make it a world congress capital like Paris, Madrid and London.

“Strengthening business tourism, which is the main profession of the city”

If business tourism has always been its main vocation, the city will be in the process of securing its rise with the construction of a 2,500-seat international convention and exhibition center. It will be held in a wing of the Exhibition Palace (OFEC) after the amendment of its charter, which must be approved by the relevant authorities.

“This will enable the start of our business strategy with 18,000 square meters at the Palais des Foires to offer exceptional rental rates before the opening of the 3,000-seat Palais des Congrès in 2027, which is planned by the planning sheet. Offer market prices,” says Alami. These projects, which are included in the regional development plan and municipal plan for 2022-2027, will be financed by the regional council, the municipal council and the council, which includes the state.

A regional capacity of at least 10,000 delegates, added to the Palace of the Currency Bureau (1,000 people), the current Mazagan exhibition center that can be expanded to 3,000 seats, will ultimately make Grand Casablanca the capital of world business tourism. .

According to the president, this strategy will pave the way for a 15-year congress of 2,000 people who will stay at least three nights before coming to the 35-year congress from 2024 to 2030.

“Opening a marketing budget between 30-50 million dirhams from 2025”

In the CRT-specific action plan, the president states that the first priority will be to bring together elected officials, local authorities and tourism experts annually to oversee the strategic development phases of the roadmap, which must be jointly approved.

“OnMT, with our partners in the city and region, a BtoC and international BtoB communication plan will be established at the national level and implemented every year so that the annual budget in 2025 will be between 30 and 50 million dirhams. Currently 10 million dirhams and only 5 million dirhams for CRT in turn, the goal of the BtoB plan will be to install the Casablanca brand with large corporations, the latter all business, medical, scientific and economic events in our city”, – explains the president who expects five million annual visitors.

Between business, leisure and cruise destinations, CRT expects to host 3 million foreigners (conventions, promotions, tourist stays, city breaks) compared to 1.5 in 2019, including 1.5 million domestic tourists and 500,000 cruise passengers. will be added.

“Largely underutilized rural potential to be developed”

The second axis of the road map will consist of the development of rural tourism thanks to the four dams in the region, which have been transformed into tourist centers.

“In our region there are hundreds of local products, educational farms, small restaurants, shops, trekking experiences towards Settat, the forests of Benslimane and Bouskoura, the Oum Rabii river flowing into Azzemur, the beaches of Bouuznika in Oualidia,” recalls Alami. He believes that the tourism potential of the region is still not used enough.

“Increase hotel occupancy from 15% to 50% on weekends”

Apart from cruise tourism, which is a priority area of ​​the roadmap, CRT intends to develop leisure and cultural tourism, with at least 50% occupancy every weekend. %.

For this, the future roadmap includes international campaigns to include the regions of Casablanca and Al Jadida on the world map of out-of-town destinations for a two-night stay.