Morocco Aims to Boost Israeli Tourism Following Diplomatic Thaw

At this session, which follows the resumption on December 10, 2020 of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Azeddine Skalli, president of the Moroccan Travel Management Club, organizer of the webinar, said that 50,000 Israelis, mainly of Moroccan origin, visit the kingdom each year. This number could reach nearly 400,000 according to the projections of travel agents who aim to see Morocco host as many Israeli tourists as Egypt and Turkey, reports Jeune Afrique. "100,000 Israeli tourists in 2022 is a reasonable estimate, for a maximum of 150,000 to 200,000," relativizes Othman Cherif Alami, head of the Atlas Voyages agency, who mentions a number of prerequisites, including visa exemption and the start of flights between Morocco and Israel.

Several online sessions aimed at accelerating exchanges between the Israeli and Moroccan private sectors have already taken place. In January, the General Confederation of Enterprises held an online session with the Israeli employers’ organization, at the end of which Mehdi Tazi, its vice-president, announced the upcoming organization of "economic forums". "Since the announcement of the resumption of relations, the business community is buzzing and multiplying initiatives and all kinds of contacts," says Gabriel Banon, former economic advisor and former Moroccan boss. For its part, Israel is working on the creation of an Israel-Morocco Chamber of Commerce. In 2020, Morocco was the fourth African exporter to Israel, after Egypt, South Africa and Ethiopia.

With the normalization of relations, the kingdom intends to benefit from Israel in the fields of automotive, aeronautics, security and telecommunications, renewable energies, agriculture and water management. "The resumption of relations is a strong support to our development strategy towards Africa from our Casablanca office," says Marouane Benmouama, North and West Africa Director of Netafim, the company that designed the drip irrigation technique adopted as part of the implementation of the Green Morocco Plan. On the Israeli side, they count on taking advantage of Morocco’s leadership on the continent. "Morocco enjoys a very good image in the area. With the support of the kingdom, these countries will be able to benefit from Israeli know-how to develop and ultimately stem immigration to the north of the continent and Europe," details Isaac Marciano.