Destination Morocco gets a boost in Italy
Italian tour operator Alpitour will step up its promotion of Morocco and open new air routes between the countries.
Gruppo Alpitour, Italy’s largest tour operator, today signed a deal with the Moroccan government in which the group pledges to double the number of Italians who book a holiday in Morocco through its network of travel agents over the next three years.
Around 20,000 Italians booked a holiday in Morocco through Alpitour in 2006, out of total of 150,000 Italian tourists who visited the country that year. The government in Rabat hopes to triple that last number by 2010.
As part of the agreement, Alpitour will introduce new direct flights between the countries through its own airline Neos and buy extra seats on routes operated by Moroccan airlines Atlas Blue and Royal Air Maroc.
Neos is expected to open direct routes to Essaouira and Oujda, where massive beach resorts are being built under Morocco’s ambitious tourist development program. More routes are said to be under consideration.
The agreement aims to triple the number of Neos’ passengers to Morocco.
The deal with Alpitour follows similar agreements between the Moroccan government and tour operators like TUI, Globalia and Belgium’s JetTour and budget airline Ryanair.