The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is well known for their hard work on behalf of travel agents plus their ability to host a conference that is both entertaining and educational. But they’ve outdone themselves with this year’s Destination Expo in Marrakech, Morocco. Over 400 agents made the journey to experience Morocco at #ASDE2015 and through the pre- and post-tours that were made available to them. Over 100 trade suppliers were on hand to show them just what the region has to offer.
Tourism accounts for 8 percent of Morocco’s GDP and that number is growing. Morocco receives over 10 million visitors per year, most of whom are from western Europe. Morocco is the closest “exotic” destination to the US yet North American tourists make up only a small fraction of its total visitors, about 220,000 in 2014. Granted, that’s a big increase from ten years ago when that number was only around 80,000 but there is still a huge opportunity for growing the US market. How to do that? Conferences such as this are one way, but other factors can help too, the most important of which could be expanded air capacity.
The night before the official opening, the conference kicked off with a special treat sponsored by the Moroccan Tourist Board: Fantasia at Chez Ali. It’s dinner with a taste of Moroccan cultural heritage, replete with musicians, acrobats, and a show of horse and camel riding. Well into the night, attendees were treated to indigenous songs and dances and a seemingly endless array of delicacies.
The conference proper kicked off Friday morning with an opening address by Zane Kerby, President and CEO of ASTA. Building off the famous Mark Twain quote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness,” he emphasized the importance of breaking down barriers and building personal connections and trust as way to create a better way to market destinations to new markets. ASTA Chairman Roger Block added just how important trips like this are, perhaps even more so than FAM trips since one can spend much more time learning about the destination firsthand. ASTA itself is stronger than ever both in membership and financially, due to the dedication of members who make the effort to come to events such as this.
The esteemed CEO and Director of the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism, Abderrafia Zouitene, spoke next and offered his country’s legendary hospitality to the assembled group. He promised an increased presence of Moroccan tourism within the US, specifically an increase in air transport (hopefully a direct NYC to Marrakech flight) as well as the opening of two new tourist board offices most likely in Florida and California.
The Chairman of Royal Air Maroc, Driss Benhima, closed the session with the announcement of a code share agreement with Jet Blue, subject to regulatory approval. The agreement was signed by both airlines at a small ceremony Friday evening before the Black and White reception, sponsored by Royal Air Maroc at the luxurious Hotel Selman Marrakech. The other reason for celebration was the recent launch of Royal Air Maroc’s first 787 Boeing Dreamliner with service from New York’s JFK airport to Casablanca. An additional four 787s are scheduled to be added to RAM’s fleet by 2017.
The next two days were filled with educational programs designed to teach agents more about Morocco and its travel products. Included in the program were such diverse topics as Morocco Luxury travel, Regional Cuisine, Women in Morocco, Cultural Heritage, and Nature and Adventure tourism. Attendees carried a “passport” which, when stamped at the various seminars, led to becoming a “certified Morocco Specialist.” The tradeshow floor was open Friday and Saturday and spread amongst the numerous booths were cultural exhibits such as a Berber Saharan camp and a demonstration of the making of mint tea.
Pre- and post-conference tours were booked solid and allowed many of the attendees to see a larger range of Moroccan tourism products up close at reduced prices. These tours were organized by several tour operators including Ya’lla, Travellink and Marrakesh Voyages. Morocco is unique in that it has multiple types of travel available all within very close range, from seaside and surfing to mountains to desert adventure to luxury and this was reflected in the myriad of tour options available. A special one-day trip to the city of Fes was also added to the schedule, with air transport graciously provided by Royal Air Maroc. The whirlwind tour gave participants a taste of this magnificent Imperial city.
One of the highlights of the conference was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ASTA, the Moroccan Tourism Board and the National Confederation of Tourism. Morocco pledged to help US travel agents, including the possibility of creating new FAM trips in the near future, and ASTA will help bring a truer picture of the possibilities of Moroccan tourism to the US.
For their part, ASTA board members were extremely pleased with how the conference went. ASTA has experienced renewed growth in recent years, owing to multiple factors including a restructuring of dues, working closely with consortiums, and focusing on promotion and advocacy as well as on their own financial side. This combination, plus the hard work of staff and leadership, is making ASTA a driving force for advocacy on behalf of travel professionals in the US. The travel industry is still undergoing huge change and ASTA has many topics on its slate, including the DOT airline ancillary fee, expanded travel to Cuba, expanded state service sector taxes, and travel insurance. ASTA’s Global Convention, August 29 – September 1, 2015 in Washington, DC, promises to be a can’t-miss event.
ASTA, www.asta.org
Morocco Tourism, www.visitmorocco.com