Conference & Meetings World Supplements Morocco Supplement | Page 4

Morocco

The Kingdom of Morocco

Explore Africa ' s northern jewel , rich in culture and history ... and MICE promise

L ocated in the Northern most corner of Africa , bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea , Morocco has a diverse culture and history . Landscapes are varied , from the remote coasts of the north , the imposing Atlas Mountain range across the centre of the country , to the South East and the world ’ s largest date palm grove , fl anked by gorges , valleys and lakes . Heading further south are the dunes of the Sahara desert . The Atlantic Ocean stretches an impressive 3000km from Tangier to the south of the country . The capital city and political centre is Rabat in the north west of the country , other key cities are Casablanca , Tangier , Fez , Agadir , each well equipped with hotels and meeting spaces .

Located in the middle of the country lies Marrakech , a dominant player in the meetings sector largely due to its established infrastructure and central location to all Morocco has to offer . Morocco has a colourful history which is still very much alive . Its culture , a blend of religious and ethnic traditions , encompasses Arab , Berber , African , Mediterranean and Jewish . The country is predominantly Muslim , with small Jewish , Christian and Hindu minorities . Historically , Morocco was important economically for the Caravan routes that connected Europe and Africa , exchanging goods in both directions such as cloth , gold , paper , spices and handicrafts . In today ’ s economy , Morocco ’ s strengths lie in the areas of agriculture , a main economic driver , phosphate exportation and tourism employing over 400,000 people . Since 1999 , when Morocco ’ s current ruler His Majesty Mohammed VI was inaugurated , the country has seen a strong upshift in economic development and a proliferation of inter-nation development programmes across key sectors including banking , real estate , automotive , telecommunications , renewable energy and construction , further underlining Morocco ’ s goal as a major player on the international stage . A long-standing infl uential meeting place for Africa and Europe , the heavy investment in infrastructure and facilities reaffi rms the country ' s ambitions as a meetings powerhouse , placing it as a strategic central meeting point .
Airports
The main international airports in Morocco are Casablanca ’ s Mohammed V International Airport , the largest , followed by Marrakech ’ s award-winning Menara Airport ; others include , Rabat-Salé , Tangier , Fez , Agadir and Essaouira . Connectivity plays a key role
for Morocco ’ s MICE business . Increasing its fl eet size , the national carrier Royal Air Maroc operates 800 non-stop connections with Europe each week . The airline also services 26 African countries from its Casablanca hub , as well as operating a good internal service .
TAP airlines operates 35 weekly fl ights , with good connecting long-haul fl ights via Lisbon . Other airlines operating in Morocco include : BA , Lufthansa , KLM , Air France , Alitalia , Qatar Airways , Emirates and Etihad . Direct fl ights operate to Dubai , Abu Dhabi and Doha . The budget Airlines ,
Ryanair and Easyjet operate services to many European destinations .
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