Heading to Morocco? The tourism outlook for 2013

Heading to Morocco? The tourism outlook






When it comes to tourist hotspots, Morocco is one of the big hitters. Just a few hours’ flight away from Europe’s major cities, it plays a strong hand to city-breakers, and adventure- and sun-seekers alike. At nine million foreign visitors a year, it’s second only to Egypt as a North African holiday destination.
But Morocco isn’t immune to international events, and as North Africa and the Middle East experience the turmoil of the Arab Spring, many would-be visitors to Morocco are giving pause to wonder whether a holiday is still safe, feasible or appropriate. Admittedly, Morocco hasn’t seen the same upheavals that Tunisia or Egypt have experienced, let alone the violence in Libya,  but confidence in tourism did take a knock with a bombing in a Marrakesh café in May, which was ascribed to Islamist militants, the first such attack in the country since 2003.
Tourism accounts for around 10% of Morocco’s GDP, but taken together, the bombing and headlines from the wider region look like making 2011 a quiet year for the Moroccan tourist industry. That said, none of this should necessarily have you reaching for your guidebooks to France or Italy instead. Morocco remains a safe holiday destination, and no governmental travel warnings currently advise against travel. The flipside of dropping visitor numbers means those heading to Morocco can find themselves some great guesthouse and hotel deals.
Let’s go!
Well-served by both budget and scheduled airlines, the main entry points to Morocco are Marrakesh, Casablanca, Fès and Tangier – the latter also being an important ferry point for visitors from Spain. In the summer, head for the cooling sea breezes of Essaouira and Asilah. The latter holds a three-week art festival in July, overlapping with Marrakesh’s Festival of Popular Arts.
Best time to go
If you’re free with your travel dates, you might want to consider avoiding visiting Morocco in August. Not only is this the hottest time of the year (Marrakesh is particularly scorching), but this year it coincides with Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. Restaurants catering to tourists aren’t affected, but it’s hot work on the tourist trail when you can’t just pop into the first café you see for a refreshing drink.
With autumn, Morocco is once again prime travelling territory. Accommodation prices rise, but everyone’s in high spirits after Ramadan. The beaches empty and even the desert benefits from gentle breezes. Now is the time to dive into the winding streets of the Fès medina (which celebrates its founder in a huge moussem or religious festival in September) or even snag yourself a wife at Imilchil’s Berber Marriage festival.
What to see
The warm days and cool nights of autumn are also ideal for seeing the best of natural Morocco. The High Atlas Mountains are the most popular destination for trekking – most notably for those wanting to tackle Jebel Toubkal, north Africa’s highest mountain, but there are plenty of lesser known areas, such as the gorgeous Ameln Valley in the Anti-Atlas. The more heavily wooded Rif Mountains in the north also offer good hiking opportunities, and an excuse to base yourself in the blue-washed town of Chefchaouen.
Tourism in Morocco might be taking a slight knock at the current moment, but there’s still plenty on offer for those ready to make the trip.

morocco tourism

morocco tourism ,morocco holidays
Rabat Vacations

Morocco's coastal capital since 1912, Rabat has just over a million people. Modern and even reserved by Moroccan standards, the city also has many fascinating historic sites, including the picturesque Kasbah of the Udayas, built in the mid-12th century. The unique Hassan Tower, begun at the end of the 12th century, was meant to have the world's largest minaret, but was never completed. Just opposite the tower lies the 20th-century Mausoleum of Mohammed V, another of the city's main attractions.

animals live in the desert morocco

animals live in the desert morocco

Morocco's Coastline
Morocco's coastline stretches along both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Coastal cities like Tangiers, Casablanca, Essaouira and Safi offer plenty of opportunities for tourists to view marine life, including dolphins, porpoises, sea birds and the extremely endangered Mediterranean monk seal. Souss-Massa National Park, a bird refuge, sits along the River Massa, which runs into the Atlantic Ocean. The endangered bald ibis is one of the park's frequent visitors. The river itself is home to large populations of ducks, including the marbled duck and the red-crested pochard, as well as mammals like the Algerian hedgehog, brown hare and African wild cat and a host of reptiles and amphibians.
Desert Wildlife
The western Sahara lies within Morocco and despite its extreme heat during the daylight hours, it is home to a wide variety of animal species. Tourists taking camel-trekking tours of the Moroccan desert may get the chance to see animals like the Dorcas gazelle, the smallest gazelle in the world, or the Fennec fox, the smallest fox in the world. These animals are often most active in the early mornings and the evenings, staying hidden during the day because of the scorching temperatures. Other Moroccan desert animals include rodents, snakes, gerbils, golden jackals, addax and lizards.
Atlas and Rif Mountains
Morocco's Atlas and Rif mountains were once home to the Barbary lion, now nearly extinct. Parc Zoologique National in Morocco's capital city, Rabat has a breeding program for this lion species. If you plan to take part in a mountain trekking tour, you may get an opportunity to see other indigenous, mountain-residing creatures like the Barbary macaque, a primate; wild boars; eagles; cardinals; lizards and butterflies.
Plant Life in Morocco
Morocco is home to diverse plant species that are found all throughout the country. Visitors to the coastal regions will likely encounter plants like casuarina, eucalyptus, loquat and acacia. Morocco's mountainous areas are home to forest plants and trees, including the cork oak, evergreen oak, holm oak, juniper, cedar, fir and pine. Visit the plains to find cork oaks, olive trees, argan-thorny trees, scrub brush and alfalfa grass.

Morocco of Culture and Art

Morocco of Culture and Art


berber color palettes
Morocco is a magnificent country and it is steeped in rich culture and tradition. Many travel to Morocco to sample all of its delights which are diverse and plentiful. The arts and crafts available in Morocco reflect these traditions and the culture it has managed to keep for so many years.

When you travel to Morocco you will see in there potter and crafts that they use a variety of bold colors and bright patterns, even to this day the Moroccans use the same techniques, and the quality of produce has never been compromised. This is why the craftsman of Morocco are so highly honored all over the world.

A world famous craft is the widely known magic carpets, hand woven using fine materials and again capturing the tradition through the use of bright colors and patterns. Carpets originate in one of two different styles, based on the weaver’s Berber or Arabic roots. Carpets in the high-Islamic urban style, most closely associated with the city of Rabat, have a very high number of knots per square inch, and can take many months to complete. Outside Rabat, carpets are made by hundreds of Berber tribal groups. Each of these carpets is entirely unique, and covered with symbols of significance to the individual tribe.

Moroccans make both gold and silver jewelery; the designs are completed using a distinct Moroccan style. You will mainly find gold jewelery in the cities but silver is found all over. Jewelery is made in every form, including earrings, bracelets, necklaces and anklets. Some have semi precious stones. You will also come across many heavy solid bracelets with deeply etched designs.

Apart from Moroccan carpets, textiles and handicrafts, Morocco has also become well known for its Moroccan pottery and art culture. This includes ceramics, sculptures and paintings. The three well known regions are Safi, Fez, and Meknes, all near the capital of Rabat. Within each region is its own style and color schemes and it is argued that the best pottery comes from Safi as it is here where artistic flavor has had centuries to be perfected. Ceramic tagines and water jugs have become hot tourist items and have thus increased the demand and production. The pottery on display in certain regions tells a story about the influences of that area. The pottery of Safi, for example, comes from Andalusia because of its shiny, almost metallic look. You will find the pottery of Fez and Safi are closely related. But, pottery in Fez tends to be brown, yellow, and even green on a white background. Meknes, which adopted methods of pottery making from Fez, has the famous metallic-green pottery that is on display in many artistic institutions across Morocco.

When you travel to Morocco you will be sure to find items that you can bring home as a memory of your Moroccan holiday. In each city you may visit you are bound to find a style, color and type that will suit your own personal preferences. Take your pick of any authentic souvenir which will remind you of your time in this magnificent country.

Enjoy your travels to Morocco.

Happy and Safe Travels.

Aidi - Dog Breed

The Aidi is a muscular and yet lean dog. The head is in good proportion to the body and some say it looks similar to a bear. The muzzle tapers and it has strong jaws that have tight lips these match, in colour, the coat colouring. It has a black or brown nose; again this will match the coat. The eyes are medium in size and a dark colour with dark eye rims. The ears are slightly tipped forward and hang downward at about half way up the ear, giving an alert look. The height is 21-24 inches and the weight is 50-55 pounds. The tail is wonderfully heavily plumed. The coat is very thick and this is weather resistant, and it is course to the touch. Colours we see are black, black and white, tawny, pale red and white. Their life expectancy is about 12 years.
The Aidi is recognized as coming from Morocco, probably originating in the Sahara. The dog has never worked as a sheepdog even though the 1963 standard was published under the name Atlas Sheepdog; this was corrected in 1969. A courageous dog, the Aidi lived and worked in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Libya, and Algeria protecting his owner and property from wildcats, other predators, and strangers. This breed has also been called the Berber, after the Berber tribes who utilized it, and bears some resemblance to the Pariah dog who is believed to share its ancestry. As a protector of the desert nomad tribes, the most alert and aggressive dogs were staked around the perimeter of the camp at night. The Aidi has not been highly regarded by the tribes historically, as are most dogs other than the Sloughi and other breeds regarded as noble. However, Moroccans have recently formed a club to protect the purity of the breed which has contributed so much in so many roles, as protector, hunter, police dog, and pet.Although the Aidi has been used primarily as a working dog, he has become more common as a house dog in the country. This breed also makes a good urban pet if he is given tasks and exercise enough to keep him satisfied and happy.
In color and flock guard work they share many characteristics of many mountain dog breeds.

A Wonderful Experience!

A Wonderful Experience!
There are many tour companies in Morocco, but we found one that made our trip fantastic from beginning to end. We are a middle-aged couple from the suburbs of Washington, DC, taking our first trip to Africa, but having done significant previous travel in Europe and Asia. After much research on tripadvisor, we chose www.moroccoexpertours.com , just recently rebranded as Morocco Expert Tours, for a 4-day guided trip from Marrakesh to Fez in the middle of March 2012. We have only the highest praise for this organization.

Youssef #1 (the owner) provided us with Youssef #2 for a prequel -- a day-long guided tour of Marrakesh. We had some last-minute changes we wanted to make in terms of what we saw, and he was completely accommodating and gracious. He was also quite knowledgeable about the city and the country at large, and his English was excellent, thanks to a graduate degree.

On the second day, Youssef #3 (we teased them that half the men in Morocco seemed to be named Youssef) picked us up at our hotel in a spotless large Toyota AWD SUV. His English is also excellent. He was our guide and driver for the next 4 days -- through the mountains, through the desert, and through the cedar forests on the way to Fez. Throughout, he was well-informed, and very proud of his country and what it has to offer. Even more important, he was a truly wonderful person, joking with my husband (who loves to engage via offbeat humor), and even taking us to his own home one afternoon for Moroccan pizza. We felt truly honored. I had some concerns about what it would be like to spend such long periods of time with a stranger, but Youssef made it easy. He talked with us about how hard he works to understand what each client wants -- quiet? information overload? lots of photos? frequent bathroom breaks? And he was very willing to discuss the cultural mores of Morocco and had real curiosity about life in the US. We felt it was a real cultural exchange. He was also a very careful driver, which made me happy, given the often mountainous terrain.

Finally, we had a 3rd guide -- Mohammed this time -- for our day in Fez. He did an academic degree in English Literature, so he was fluent. We learned that he has been written up in Travel & Leisure magazine as a top-notch guide, and this certainly proved true for us. He seemed to know everyone in the souks of the medina, and he took us to a tannery, a weaving store, a silversmith, a woodworking shop, and though narrow passages that even a GPS device couldn't have found for us. The medina in Fez is a complex and fascinating place, and he brought out the richness of it for us.

Throughout the trip, we were completely comfortable, both physically and personally. The hotels they chose were quite nice, scrupulously clean, and the food was always good. The highlight of our trip, which they arranged for us, was a trip on camels into the desert followed by a night in a tent in the Sahara (the stars!! you will not believe it!!) and a sunset and sunrise of a lifetime. This excursion was based out of a terrific hotel in Erg Chebbi owned by -- you guessed it -- Youssef #4. Very comfortable, loads of character and a very personal touch.

You should have no qualms about hiring this company -- they were beyond responsive on the emails to arrange the trip, and did exactly what they promised to do, but also added an "extra" -- they said this is their hallmark and they always try to exceed expectations. For us they certainly did and we recommend them without any reservation.

GO TO MOROCCO

GO TO MOROCCO Out of the blue a friend called me and told me that she had four free days, had found a great deal to go to Morocco and asked would I fancy to come too? Did she even have to ask? I was already throwing things in my bag before the conversation was over.

Marrakesh, Morocco

She came from London and I came from Istanbul and we met up in Marrakesh. We are both glamour grannies which means we aren’t into backpacking and dorms, we need our creature comforts but are always extremely keen on discovering a country’s less traveled and beautiful secrets. We will go anywhere, eat just about anything and don’t much need R&R. Morocco proved to be the ideal destination.

We stayed in a beautiful little hotel, a converted Riad located in the middle of the twisted and mysterious alleys of the medina (which means “old city proper.) . After exploring the old town and soaking up the atmosphere of shouting water vendors with their tasseled hats and black-veiled women, we couldn’t resist making our way to the legendary Mamounia Hotel. Staying there was out of the question, but to our delight we found out that you can enjoy the ultimate in luxury and wallow in the history of the place by buying a day pass for approx. $100. That was well within budget, so we put on our best leisure outfits and smartest bikinis and were ready to mix with the wealthy and beautiful.

The Mamounia Hotel has recently undergone a massive ‘facelift’ and it shows. Step into the lobby and your are right in the middle of a 1001 nights tale. Morocco is the country of roses and they were everywhere. I had the good fortune to meet the PR lady, and when she heard that I was a travel writer we received the benefit of a guided tour, plus free cocktails in the piano bar ,and dinner in one of the five themes restaurants. Oh for the perks of travel writing.

Exotic garden in Marrakesh

The hotel’s most outstanding feature is the gardens. Acres and acres of exotic plants and flowers, palm trees and well tended lawns, interspersed with kitchen gardens which provide the herbs and spices for the restaurants. My friend, a keen gardener, couldn’t tear her eyes away.

“Do you think they have an opening here for a garden assistant?” she joked. Highly unlikely, so we made our way to the pool, which is massive and surrounded by the most comfortable loungers I’ve ever rested in.

Of course, no one has to lift a finger. Everything is fetched and carried for you, including refreshments from the pool bar. I had forgotten suntan lotion, and a bottle was bought and brought to me by one of the pool boys. Heaven. We spent a wonderful day, chatting with other hotel guests who came from all over the world, many of them regulars who wouldn’t dream of staying anywhere in Marrakesh but the Mamounia.

Evening fell and we enjoyed our cocktails in the piano bar and then proceeded to the Morocco restaurant to sample a very succulent tagine which was celebrated at the table along with a glass of outstanding red wine. That was our bit of R&R, because the next day we went on an adventure trip which will not soon be forgotten.

Road through the Draa Valley towards Ouarzazate

Our destination was Ouarzazate, known as the door to the desert, located only about 150km east of Marrakesh, but what 150km these were. The road to Ouarzazate winds its way across the highest peeks of the Atlas mountains before dropping down into the desert. The journey is not for the faint hearted, but the views down into the hibiscus and rose covered Drâa River Valley are simply breathtaking. Wisely, we had hired a car and driver for the day, because you can’t drive and look at the same time, otherwise you easily can have taken the last look of your life; the road is that dangerous.

Our driver was, as he proudly pointed out, a native Berber and negotiating roads like that runs in the blood. Stalls line the road where you can buy huge chunks of sparkling minerals found in the desert. After passing by the massive fortified mountain Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou which is a world heritage site and crossing the snow line, we descended into Ouarzazate, not only the gateway to the desert, but also a center of movie making.

Such classics as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, The Mummy and many more have all been, in part, shot there, using the natural background and several studios. You can visit the studios and a movie museum, but I preferred to make my way to the Hotel Berbere Palace. Apart from being a place where we could rest and swim in the pool, again making use of a day pass, the hotel is famous for its collection of original props of the movies, displayed in the lobby and throughout the grounds. It’s quite an experience to actually touch the throne ‘Caesar’ sat in, or to look at the cage from Planet of the Apes.

Cashbah Taouririt has been featured in several movies

Refreshed, we went for a walk through Ouarzazate’s very own medina, the red Cashbah Taouririt, also featured in several movies and a wonderful place to admire or shop for lovely Morocco souvenirs like miniature tagines or leather goods. We made the return journey by night and as it happened, we had a full moon which cast the mountains into a simply magic light.

Moroccan souvenirs in and around Cashbah Taouririt in Ouarzazate

Next day’s destination was nostalgia of a different kind and in the opposite direction. Our faithful and trusted driver picked us up at 8am and took us along a razor straight highway to the coastal town of Essaouria of faded hippy charm.

Essaouria, or "city of winds," is a surfer’s paradise on the Mediterranean

‘City of the winds’ is the moniker for Essaouria, a surfer’s paradise on the Mediterranean. Sure enough, the first thing you see when approaching are miles and miles of white beach with crashing waves and hundreds of colored wind surfer sails rushing in the strong wind. Essaouria is a walled city and the first stop, outside, is the port and the fish market, where you sit on long communal tables, point at the latest catch and enjoy the freshest of fish, eating with your fingers, in the company of your fellow travelers.

Street Musicians in traditional costume at Essaouria

We made our way through one of the many arched gates into the medina proper. Faded charm is the key word for this place, once the favorite hang out of Jimi Hendrix and Orson Welles. Essaouria is artistic and many art galleries and craft shops line the cobbled alleys. The atmosphere is totally laid back, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh. Paint is a little peeling, windows and doors are a little askew, but you lose all sense of time or urgency whilst meandering through the streets, looking at the merchandise on offer and stopping in one of the many cafes for a mint tea, and listening to street musicians in traditional costumes play their strangely touching wailing melodies on old instruments.

The Essaouira is laid back and a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh.

Four days in Morocco was indeed a trip full of contrasts, which is the very essence of the country. Rare are such small places that have it all: mountains, sea, desert, rivers and lush valleys blanketed in roses, culture and ancient history. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Morocco, do it!