A new direct air link was launched Thursday at David Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, linking the Israeli capital to the Moroccan city of Essaouira with one flight per week. Operated by the Israeli company Arkia, this line is part of a memorandum of understanding signed on July 18 by the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) and the Israeli carrier, reports MAP. The launch of the Tel Aviv-Essaouira connection is part of the ONMT’s efforts to promote the Morocco destination to the Israeli market and aims to strengthen the air connection between the Kingdom and Israel and promote activity tourism between the two countries. The inauguration ceremony of this line was marked by the presence of the head of the Liaison Office of Morocco in Israel, Abderrahim Bayoudh, the president of the Commune of Essaouira, officials of the David-Ben-Gurion airport and representatives of tourism stakeholders. Israel’s second largest airline has committed to setting up a direct Tel Aviv-Essaouira route offering 11,000 seats. To promote the launch of this new line, a joint ONMT-Arkia multi-channel communication system will be deployed on several media: TV, press, billboards and digital. The objective being to communicate around the tourist assets of the destination of Essaouira and to highlight the history, memory and Jewish-Moroccan culture that the city of Alizés contains. Arrivals of Israeli tourists continue to increase. In 2022, nearly 75,000 tourists visited Morocco, an increase of 87% compared to 2019. At the end of June 2023, Morocco’s airports welcomed nearly 39,000 Israeli travelers, an increase of 35% compared to the same period of 2022 and 146% compared to June 2019. These new lines will breathe new life into this trend, thus encouraging tourism and the economy. Light In Action, the strategy initiated by the ONMT therefore continues to bear fruit, particularly in the field of air transport and the opening of point-to-point lines.