Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor unveiled to parliamentarians the latest indicators concerning the tourist season and the “Forsa” Performance program. 2022 has been the year of confirmation for the tourism sector. The figures presented by the Minister of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy are instructive. A good dynamic that also applies to the “Forsa” program. Point. The indicators are green for tourism in Morocco. This is what emerges from the intervention of the Minister of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor in parliament. The numbers speak for themselves. The minister indicated that Morocco managed to recover nearly 84% of tourists during the year 2022 compared to 2019, i.e. 11 million travelers. In response to an oral question in the House of Representatives on the tourism sector, Ms. Ammor underlined the significant tourist enthusiasm experienced by Morocco with the recovery of 84% of travelers, at a time when the global recovery rate does not exceed 65%, noting that tourist receipts amounted to 81.7 billion dirhams (MMDH) at the end of November, i.e. a recovery rate of 112%. With regard to internal tourism, Ms. Ammor noted that the recovery rate exceeds 101% compared to 2019, expecting “a growing recovery, especially after the influence that Morocco experienced during the FIFA Cup. world in Qatar”. And to add that this result is due to the wise approach adopted by the Kingdom in the management of the health crisis, under the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. Ms. Ammor also underlined the importance of the support provided by the State within the framework of the emergency support plan for the tourism sector, worth 2 billion dirhams, in addition to the process of promotion and marketing, guarantee of flights to Morocco and the full involvement of professionals and other partners. National product In this context, the Minister recalled that a study has been carried out, in coordination with the Moroccan National Tourist Office, in order to work for the establishment of fundamentals for the sustainable development of internal tourism by encouraging the investment in the tourist product most demanded by Moroccan tourists, and by strengthening the promotion of the national product, in addition to the coordination with the ministry in charge of national education with regard to regional holidays. With regard to encouraging investment and making financial resources available, Ms. Ammor continued: “We have reoriented the intervention of the Moroccan Society for Tourism Engineering towards the encouragement of public investment. and private and the development of partnerships in different regions of the Kingdom”, noting that calls for tenders have been launched in the regions of Souss-Massa and Guelmim-Oued Noun in terms of support for very small, small and medium-sized enterprises (TPME) before the generalization of this process during the current year. The ministry has set up an entertainment project bank to encourage the creation of small and medium-sized businesses and boost local tourism, Ammor said, adding that in addition to the budget allocated to the ministry, important additional resources are adopted, which relate to four axes. These areas relate to the new Investment Charter, the Mohammed VI Fund for Investment, with the contribution of the private sector and other partners including local authorities, said the Minister, assuring that the department works in coordination with the Ministry of Economy and Finance to mobilize additional financial resources if necessary to implement all the projects of the new roadmap for the sector. “Forsa” program The good performance also applies to the “Forsa” program. In this sense, the figures presented by Mrs. Ammor are very telling. Thus, the objective of financing 10,000 projects under the “Forsa” program was 100% achieved, thanks to the efforts of the work team and the novel methods used. The Minister of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, who was responding to an oral question on the “preliminary assessment of the Forsa programme” in the House of Representatives, stressed that the communication campaign, which was adopted with the various means of communication available, made it possible to achieve the expected results related to the monitoring of the project phases and the information of all citizens. The “forsa.ma” platform has enabled all Moroccans to have the same opportunities to participate in the program, in addition to the distance training platform which has enabled project leaders to acquire the first knowledge for the success of their projects. , noted the minister. She also highlighted the importance of continuous field monitoring of the program and the weekly organization of a large number of local commissions, thus reporting “450 selection commissions and 600 funding commissions in about 5 months “. The results of the first edition of the program for 2022 amounted to 73,000 complete files and the number of beneficiaries having received funding exceeded the planned number of 10,000, which “was not an easy objective to achieve, especially in a short time,” she said. The minister noted that 50% of the projects financed have enabled their promoters to move into the activities of the formal economy, which makes it possible to create permanent jobs and contributes to the government’s effort to encourage the formal sector. “forsa academy” Regarding training, 23,000 people have benefited from the “forsa academy” platform and 98% of them expressed their satisfaction with the training, she said. Regarding the distribution of projects by age, 65% of the beneficiaries are young people aged 18 to 35. This, continued Ms. Ammor, reflects the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship of young people and their strong desire to engage in the labor market and contribute to the development that Morocco is experiencing. Also, the Minister indicated that women represent 20% of the number of people who submitted applications and who were able to benefit from the program. They were involved in the tourism, service, handicrafts and other sectors, Ms. Ammor noted, adding that this “shows the great willingness of women to face difficulties and overcome them in order to succeed in their projects. “. Regarding the distribution of projects according to the regions, the minister highlighted the achievement of spatial justice by covering all the regions of the Kingdom, which “positively impacts local economies”. The funding concerned various sectors economic such as tourism, agriculture, e-commerce, local commerce, crafts, as well as innovative projects such as smart digital programs and renewable energy projects. “Key tourism data Enthusiasm Morocco has experienced significant tourist enthusiasm with the recovery of 84% of travellers, at a time when the global recovery rate does not exceed 65%. Medinas To support the cultural tourism product in our country, several programs are underway, in particular the enhancement of 8 medinas in Marrakech, Essaouira, Fez, Meknes, Rabat, Salé, Tetouan and Tangier. Support The support provided by the State within the framework of the emergency support plan for the tourism sector, worth 2 billion dirhams, has borne fruit. Internal tourism The year 2022 was marked by a good dynamic of internal tourism (nearly 8 million national tourists) with a recovery rate exceeding 101% compared to 2019. Recovery Tourist receipts stood at 81.7 billion of dirhams (MMDH) at the end of November, i.e. a recovery rate of 112%. Cultural destinations are the first destinations for visitors to Morocco. (DR) This is the title of the Cultural Tourism Valorization box. According to the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, “cultural tourism occupies a major place in the tourist economy, and cultural destinations are the first destinations for visitors to Morocco”. Ms. Ammor, who was speaking to MPs, added that litter capacity in cultural destinations accounts for 69% of total capacity in Morocco and is consumed by 84% of the number of arrivals in Morocco. The same source indicated that work is currently being done to support the cultural tourism product in our country, through a set of programs which relates in particular to the enhancement of 8 medinas in Marrakech, Essaouira, Fez, Meknes, Rabat, Salé , Tetouan and Tangier. There is talk of a program to convert old “ksours” into authentic hotels, not to mention the program to diversify the tourist offer of the city of Ouarzazate. With regard to ecotourism, the Minister revealed the signing of a partnership and cooperation agreement with Huttopia, which specializes in the design, development and management of tourist clubs and villages located in natural areas. The objective of this agreement is to establish a network of ecotourism sites knowing that a first project will be carried out in the region of Oulmès. A study was carried out, in coordination with the Moroccan National Tourist Office, in order to work towards the establishment of fundamentals for the sustainable development of internal tourism. (DR) This is the title of the box Solidarity Economy Source of growth. “The social and solidarity economy plays an important role in the organization of the informal sector, job creation and economic and territorial development”. The comments come from the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor who answered an oral question in parliament. “The objectives of the ministry, through its strategy, in this area, are to bring the contribution of this sector to 8% of the gross domestic product and to 10% in the occupation of the active population, by 2035″, added the same source specifying that in this context, the ministry is working on 2 axes, namely the field of governance and legislation as well as the development of a strategy for the next ten years. “In terms of governance and legislation, we are preparing a framework law for the social and solidarity economy, in which we have reached advanced stages, and we have discussed it in the framework of 12 regional meetings. We are currently preparing the final version in order to put it in the approval circuit. The Ministry has provided the necessary financial resources, within the framework of international cooperation, for this process, as well as for the creation of regional poles of the social and solidarity economy,” said Ms. Ammor. And to conclude: “With regard to the second axis, which is the development of a strategy for the next ten years, the project has reached an advanced stage which concerns several aspects related to human resources, support, etc. …”. They said Fatim-Zahra Ammor, Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy “We expect a growing recovery, especially after the influence that Morocco experienced during the World Cup in Qatar”. Adel El Fakir, general manager of the ONMT “We must now accompany this wave to concretize this craze and by bringing to Morocco the maximum number of tourists from all over the world”. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) “Morocco, a true leader in tourism”.