The Saïdia station will play a central role in the tourist development of the entire Oriental region, in accordance with the tourism roadmap, underlined the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor. L’Oriental has been the subject of a major investment effort in recent years, and more particularly the Saidia resort, which with its 6,500 beds alone accounts for 47% of the region’s overall capacity, estimated, Friday in Nador, the minister during a meeting intended for the presentation of the new tourism roadmap 2023-2026, in the presence in particular of the Wali of the Oriental region, the governor of the province of Nador , elected officials and professionals in the sector. And to add that it also has several entertainment facilities, including a Marina and a marina, two 18-hole golf courses, a 7-hectare water amusement park and an adjoining Medina, noting that the objective is to make the resort a driving force for the development of the entire region. “We must accelerate the development of the station so that it can play the role of locomotive for the whole region,” she said, noting that air transport is one of the priorities, in perspective. to double point-to-point connections, especially since the region has three airports, two of which are international. “The ministry also aims to address strong seasonality by creating a diversified offer that will attract tourists throughout the year and in which the rich and diverse hinterland will play a key role,” said Ms. Ammor. For his part, the Wali of the Oriental, Mouad Jamai noted that this meeting testifies to the interest granted by the supervising ministry to the development of this strategic sector in the region, and constitutes an important step in the consecration of the vision ambitious for the development of tourism in the Kingdom. In this sense, Mr. Jamai highlighted the natural and cultural potential of the Oriental region, as well as the tourist projects carried out within the framework of the Royal Initiative for the development of the region, in addition to the activities organized for tourism development, stressing the importance of overcoming the challenges facing the sector in the region, as well as providing the necessary support to achieve a real tourism take-off. As part of the regional tour of the 2023-2026 tourism roadmap, this meeting was well attended by key players in the region, all mobilized to achieve the ambitious objectives set for the Oriental region. . The meeting was marked by the presentation of the main lines of the strategic tourism roadmap for the period 2023-2026, to which a financial envelope of 6.1 billion dirhams has been allocated. This new roadmap aims to attract 17.5 million tourists by 2026, to generate 120 billion dirhams in foreign currency revenue and to create 200,000 direct and indirect job opportunities, as well as to reposition tourism as an essential sector of the national economy.