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MOROCCO:
TOURISM ATTRACTIONS IN ABUNDANCE
By Helen C.
Broadus
 Morocco,
North Africa is home of the continent's oldest
monarchy and is one of Africa's main tourist
destinations, bringing in more than 3.3 million
tourist representing an estimated 1.8 billion in
foreign currency in the year 2000. In 1996, I had
the pleasure of visiting Marrakech, Morocco as a
delegate to a travel and tourism conference. It was
truly a fantastic experience which I thought I
would never get the chance to repeat. Fortunately,
I am pleased to announce that Venue International
Professionals, Inc. (VIP) will be promoting several
affordable tours to be held in Morocco in
conjunction with the Africa
Travel Association's (ATA) Sixth Cultural and
Eco-Tourism Symposium in Fés, Morocco
&endash; December 8-13, 2002. Morocco, while
blessed with very beautiful beaches, is most famous
for the world renowned marvels of art and history
represented by its Imperial Cities of Fés,
Meknes, Marrakech and Rabat. The Kingdom of Morocco
is located in Northern Africa, bordering the
Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco
received its independence from France on March 2,
1956 and has a population of more than 30 million
with Rabat as the official capital. While Arabic is
the official language, French is often the language
of business, government and diplomacy. English is
also widely spoken and many American and European
tourists visit Morocco for vacation and/or business
purposes all year round.
Morocco is slightly larger
than California, with a similar lengthy coastline
(3,500 km) and separated from Europe by the Straits
of Gibraltar. Interestingly, the link between
Africa and Europe could be finally completed by the
construction of a gigantic viaduct across the
Straits of Gibraltar. This bridge will start from
Cape Malabat to the east of Tangier and reach the
southern coast of Spain at Cape Paloma. This
engineering feat would enable 10-15 million
passengers to cross annually, along with 2 million
vehicles and 5 million tons of freight. This would
definitely speed up the union between Morocco and
the European Union.
Photo
(above) - Casablanca.
Morocco, as stated earlier,
is renowned for its Imperial Cities. During this
tour, you will have the opportunity to visit these
Imperial Cities as well as experience Casablanca,
the economic capital of Morocco. Casablanca has the
largest port of the Maghreb (North African) nations
and was modeled after the seaport in Marseille,
France. Casablanca is a very cosmopolitan city with
both "old world charm and new world pleasures".
Photo:
(above) - Rabat
Rabat, also known as the
"Garden City" is the administrative capital of
Morocco. In many ways, Rabat is a traditional yet
modern and elegant city, with wide and harmonious
boulevards with trees, flowers, gardens and
luxurious boutiques. Fés is often described
as the "spiritual and cultural center" of Morocco.
As the kingdom's original capital (808 A.D.),
Fés is known as the most Imperial City of
them all in Morocco. Meknes is famous for its
picturesque and exotic souks (markets) with
colorful displays of foods, handicrafts and
textiles. Within a short driving distance of Meknes
is Volubilis, the most important Roman ruins in all
of Morocco. In 1997, this rich legacy won Volubilis
the classification as a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO. Marrakech is called the "voluptuous city"
and is full of many historical sites as well as
exquisite shopping bazaars.
Opportunities to experience
luxurious palaces, exotic kasbahs, museums,
casinos, golf courses, mountains, lush oases, and
fabulous marketplaces. The complete tour package
includes roundtrip airfare from JFK International
Airport to Casablanca/Fés, conference
registration fee, welcome reception, deluxe hotel
accommodations with private bath, breakfast daily
(with lunches and dinners as indicated in the
published itinerary), English-speaking tour guides,
park entrance fees, in-country transportation,
farewell dinner and a special VIP gift. Royal Air
Maroc will be the official airline carrier and
service onboard is equal to the best of European
airlines with meticulous and courteous attention to
all of the smallest details. Special discounted
rates on Coach and Business Class will be offered
for delegates to the Eco-Tourism
Conference.
Photo
(above) - Marrakech at night
On this tour you will have
many o A Pre-Tour of Casablanca and Rabat from
December 6-7, 2002 is $315.00 per person based on
double occupancy and a Post-Tour of Beni-Mellal and
Marrakech from December 13-17, 2002 is $558.00 per
person based on double occupancy. Single supplement
will be an additional fee based on number of
nights. Prices and dates for each of the tours are
subject to change based on total number of
participants. Photo
(above right) Rabat,
For more information about
attending the ATA's Eco-Tourism Conference and/or
joining our Morocco Tour, please contact Helen C.
Broadus Toll-Free at 1-877-TO-VENUE [(301)
856-9188] or send me an e-mail at
vipinc@erols.com.
About the author:
Helen C. Broadus is the President of Venue
International Professionals, Inc. (VIP) &endash; an
African-American owned full service travel and
tourism company based in the Washington
Metropolitan Area. VIP specializes in providing
escorted and customized travel and tourism packages
for individuals and groups interested in visiting
the African continent. She is also the Executive
Secretary of the Africa Travel Association (ATA)
and has conducted numerous travel and tourism
programs to twenty countries in Africa over the
past ten years.
Photos on this page courtesy Casablanca Travel and
Tours of Alexandria, Virginia.
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