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The problem,
however, comes when "encouraging" the national
middle class can only be done through excessive
external borrowing. This increases the country's
indebtedness unnecessarily because GDP can be
enhanced through another very important and
debt-free way, that is foreign investment or, in
the case of Uganda, domestic investment by the
non-African element of the middle class (the
Asians). Fiancial Contacts Database
Ehances Africa Travel Magazine Circulation Rwandan
President Invites U.S. Investors Council
Irwin, President of Travels Unlimited with Irwin
and I had the opportunity to meet with the
Ambassador of Morocco, H.E. Aziz Mekouar, at his
embassy in Washington, D.C. on Friday, October 11,
2002. Our purpose for the visit was to meet with
him in order to discuss potential trade and
investment opportunities with regard to the travel
and tourism industry of Morocco. This was
definitely an opportune time to gain some insight
and advice from Ambassador Mekouar before our
upcoming travel to his country to attend the Africa
Travel Association's (ATA) Sixth Eco-Tourism
Symposium to be held in Fes, Morocco December
8th-13th, 2002. While another highly successful ATA
Eco-Tourism Symposium took place in Marrakech,
Morocco in 1996, this is the first time that ATA
will hold an event in Fes, described as the
"spiritual and cultural center of Morocco". As the
kingdom's oldest capital (808 A.D.), Fes is known
as the "most Imperial City of them all" in
Morocco. Ambassador Mekouar
started out the meeting by stating to us that there
is something to offer for everyone in Morocco, from
Andalucian culture, ancient civilizations, open
air-markets, the Atlas Mountains, the Imperial
Cities and beautiful beaches. He also informed us
that the King of Morocco himself, Mohammed VI, has
called for investment in the tourism industry of
Morocco. Moreover, the Minister of Economy,
Finance, Privatization and Tourism, the Hon.
Fathalah Oualallou, describes Morocco as "a point
of convergence which is extremely proud of its rich
history and diversified culture while at the same
time open to modernity". Consequently, promoting
this cultural appeal to tourists is a significant
part of one of the most important engines of their
economy. Although Morocco's
tourists numbers have fallen during 2002, the
industry remains an important source of hard
currency at about $280 million and a major employer
with over 600,000 people. Each year, Morocco
attracts over two million visitors, mainly from
Europe, but a significant number of American
tourists are emerging as well. Overall, this
African destination definitely has immense
attractions to offer in the areas of adventure,
cultural and eco-tourism. Consequently, expansion
of the tourism sector is the government's top
priority and their aim is to attract ten million
visitors by 2010. According to the Hon. Mohamed
Achari, Minister of Culture and Communications,
"what distinguishes Morocco as an African
destination is its unique geography and ancient
civilization rather than its beautiful beaches and
sunny climate. For example, if you look at the
historical sites in Southern Spain, you will
realize that they represent the Andalucian culture.
But this unique culture is still alive in Morocco.
It exists in our houses, in music, and our
weddings". Ambassador Mekouar
fully agrees with the ongoing tourism strategy of
Morocco and eagerly said that he would like to see
many more Americans take an interest in visiting
his country. He went on to explain that Morocco is
the most westernized of the Arab Muslim states and
has been a true friend of the United States for
many years. In fact, Morocco was one of the first
countries to officially recognize America's
independence. Now, Morocco is looking to the United
States for foreign direct investment in a bid to
further modernize its agriculturally-based economy.
Guided by a young monarch, King Mohamed VI, who
took the throne in 1999, and a reform-minded
democratic government, it has already made
considerable strides in opening doors for foreign
investors. For instance, there has been substantial
reform of the legal and regulatory framework, tax
laws have been revised and generous fiscal
incentives are available. In 2001, foreign
investments totaled over $3 billion, primarily in
the telecommunications industry sector. Other areas
of interest to investors include tourism, textiles,
electronics and automobile components. With regard
to trade and investment opportunities for the
travel and tourism industry in Morocco, Ambassador
Mekouar explained that there is a substantial
modernization program being undertaken in Morocco
for the air transportation industry sector, with
investments pouring into a new runway and track, as
well as services and communication operations. In
just a few years time, Morocco expects the current
number of eight million passengers to rise as high
as twelve million. Morocco is also positioning
itself to function as a hub for intercontinental
services. "Morocco offers a
number of significant advantages and Casablanca's
Mohamed V International Airport has been developed
to play an important role as a regional hub. It's
strategic position enables it to act as an
important center for air traffic links between
Africa, the Middle East, America and Europe"
according to Mohamed Amal Guedira, Managing
Director of the National Airports Authority (NAA).
The state-owned NAA operates the country's
seventeen airports, including seven that can handle
international flights. The pending privatization of
both the NAA and its spin-off services, including
air traffic control, provides lucrative business
opportunities for interested investors. This means
opening air cargo handling and catering activities
to competition, developing industrial zones, as
well as food concessions and shopping. With regard
to safety and security considerations, Morocco's
airports comply fully with all international
security requirements. Indeed, after 9/11, the
first plane to depart from an Arab country to the
United States was a Royal Air Maroc flight from
Casablanca. The United States and Morocco also
signed an open skies agreement in 2001, paving the
way for closer passenger and cargo air links
between the two countries. In addition,
improved trade relations with the United States
will generate more passenger traffic. The
development of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between
the two countries will also boost economic and
political ties. Ambassador Mekouar fully expects
that the creation of this free trade zone will have
an important impact on the growth of air traffic
between Morocco and America. A United
States-Morocco FTA would definitely generate
export/import opportunities for American goods and
services in a number of important industry sectors
with Morocco. Over the past six years, American
exports to Morocco averaged $475 million annually
with leading exports including aircraft,
agriculture and machinery. The strategic linkage of
Casablanca's international airport with Miami's
international airport opens another direct line of
communications. The two airports have exchanged
staff members, which raises standards and
professionalism as well as generates ideas for
improvements in productivity. We also asked
Ambassador Mekouar about Morocco's potential new
link between Africa and Europe. Due to its
geographical location, Morocco belongs
simultaneously to the Mediterranean world, the
Atlantic world and the Saharan world. Morocco's
Cape Malabata near Tangier and Spain's Cape Paloma
are separated by just 14 km of sea at the Straits
of Gibraltar, crossed each year by millions of
passengers and millions of tons of freight.
Ambassador Mekouar spoke frankly about the plans to
join the two nations by a gigantic viaduct across
the Straits, soaring 70 meters above the waves with
bridge spans measuring 2,000 meters each. This
proposed construction would enable approximately
10-15 million passengers to cross annually, along
with 2 million vehicles and 5 million tons of
freight. It is envisioned that this very ambitious
project, which is now being discussed, would speed
up the union between Morocco and the European
Union. In closing, we left
our meeting with Ambassador Mekouar with an
increased awareness of the potential for trade and
investment opportunities with the travel and
tourism industry of Morocco. After posing for a few
photographs, we thanked Ambassador Mekouar for his
gracious hospitality and keen advice. We both
promised to follow-up with him upon our return and
definitely look forward to our travels to Morocco
with great anticipation. NOTE: Research
information and several quotes included within this
article were excerpted from a promotional news
article about Morocco printed in USA Today's "Our
World Supplement" dated October 17, 2002. Council
Irwin is the President of Travels Unlimited with
Irwin &endash; a full service travel agency based
in Detroit, Michigan and a member of the
International Board of Directors of the Africa
Travel Association (ATA). David Saunders
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The
Kingdom of Morocco, home of the continent's oldest
monarchy, is located in Northern Africa, bordering
the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Morocco is known as a stable and democratic country
linking Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. Morocco
received its independence from France on March 2nd,
1956, and has a population of more than thirty
million with Rabat as the official capital. While
Arabic is the official language, French is often
the language of business, government and diplomacy.
Slightly larger than California, with a similar
coastline (3,500 km) and separated from Europe by
the Straits of Gibraltar, Morocco is one of
Africa's main tourist destinations, bringing in
more than three million tourist representing an
estimated two billion dollars in foreign currency
in the year 2000. Morocco, while blessed with very
beautiful beaches along the Mediterranean
coastline, is most famous for the world-renowned
marvels of art and history represented by its
Imperial Cities of Fes, Meknes, Marrakech and
Rabat.