JEDDAH, 22 January — Saudis have accounted for 30 percent of Arab tourists — estimated at 70,000 — who visited Morocco during the first 10 months of last year, according to Muhammad Bulghalegh, director of the Moroccan National Office for tourism in the Middle East. Speaking to Arab News, he said he expected the inflow of tourists from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to the northwest African country would double this year as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.
He said Morocco gives top priority to inter-Arab tourism, which has been growing rapidly over the past years. He described Morocco as one of the major tourist destinations of Saudis and other Gulf citizens.
He described the Moroccan Tourism and Cultural Festival held in Bahrain on Jan. 7-12 as the largest such event organized by his office in the Gulf region. The festival featured a Moroccan book exhibition, musical performance, a fashions show and a Moroccan food show. Bulghalegh said similar tourism festivals would be held in other GCC countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. He said Morocco was planning to attract the largest number of Arab families over the coming years. With this goal in mind, Bulghalegh’s office will work to promote the various tourist destinations in Morocco, which has recently developed six new tourist regions.
Blessed with a 3,500 km-long coastline on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, Morocco is considered an international tourist spot. It is often selected for holding conferences and festivals.
