2023-10-28 21:00:32
The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) and Air Transat signed, Wednesday in Montreal, a strategic partnership agreement, the first operational measure of which is the opening of a Montreal-Marrakech line which will be operational from June 2024.
Alongside the agreement signed at Air Transat headquarters, a side-event was organized by the ONMT for Canadian operators and travel agents and the media, the Office indicates in a press release.
The event was marked by the presence of the Director General of the ONMT, Adel El Fakir, the President of the National Tourism Confederation, Hamid Bentahar, the President of the National Federation of the Hotel Industry, Lahcen Zelmat and the president of the National Federation of Tourist Restaurateurs, Imane Rmili, reports MAP.
The second North American company, after AirCanada, to operate in Morocco, Air Transat becomes the only airline in North America to offer direct flights to Marrakech twice a week in summer, on Wednesdays and Saturdays in June to October and once a week in winter, on Saturdays from November to April, adds the same source.
And to emphasize that the Montreal-Marrakech connection also enriches the existing offer in Morocco, namely the historic Casablanca-Montreal line operated by Royal Air Maroc, a strategic route for the Oneworld alliance company.
The Montreal-Marrakech line is also the first point-to-point connection to Marrakech from North America outside the Casablanca hub, the press release said, noting that this airline line will open up a wide range of possibilities for travelers with a access to the seaside resorts of Essaouira, Taghazout and Agadir, but also to mountain and ecotourism destinations (Azilal, Béni Mellal, etc.), in the South (Ouarzazate, Zagora and Merzouga), and even city break and cultural destinations of the North (Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes and Fez).
And note that Marrakech represents 24% of Canadian tourist arrivals in Morocco, a rate which could reach 40% by establishing itself as the main departure city as part of circuits or combined trips.
Over the last 10 years, seat capacity from Canada to Morocco has increased by 87%, from 87,000 to 164,000 seats per year. From January to September 2023, arrivals amounted to 82,590 people with a 23% capacity increase planned for next winter.
In order to optimize the potential of this growing market, the ONMT will open a representative office in Montreal from 2024, announces the Office, specifying that this effective presence on the ground as close as possible to travel prescribers and Canadian airlines will allow to strengthen the Office’s commercial strategy in line with the deployment of its “Light in action” action plan.
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