The economic relations between Morocco and Turkey are not tense, but are not calm either. If the kingdom has decided to review certain provisions of the free trade agreement (FTA) with Turkey, concerning textiles and steel in particular, it seems that the former Ottoman Empire plays the card of seduction for which is from the tourism sector.
Morocco has released fangs to protect its economy from the flooding of the national market with Turkish products. Indeed, Moulay Hafid Elalamy (MHE), Minister of Industry, Trade and the Green and Digital Economy did not take it easy during the 34th session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), held last November in Istanbul, to indicate to the Turkish side that Morocco will no longer make concessions in the face of commercial pressure.
The minister mentioned a revision of the FTA, following numerous "disputes" between the two countries at the commercial level, in particular textiles and steel, because Moroccan industrialists accuse the Turkish side of flooding the market with cheaper products, thereby damaging the economic fabric of the kingdom. Moreover, a 27% duty has been imposed on Turkish textile imports since January 1, 2020, to calm Turkish professionals in their conquest of the Moroccan market.
That said, while it is easy for the kingdom to "control" trade, it is different for tourism activity. More and more Moroccans are snubbing the local offer to head for Turkey, just to discover the country of the "sultans" of the television series. Indeed, the high consumption of Turkish series made Moroccans discover the country and its many cities, in addition to sharing its history, thus serving as an engine to attract many curious people in search of new landscapes.

A well thought out offer
Furthermore, this craze for Turkey is due to the absence of a visa between the two countries, but not only. Indeed, the manager of a travel agency in Rabat explained to Hespress FR that in addition to the ease of transit between the two countries, Turkish promotional offers are much more interesting sometimes than what is offered locally.
“The night in some hotels in Marrakech costs 3500 dirhams or more. If we stay there for 3 days, it's about 10,000 dirhams. At this price, we can afford a one-week trip to Turkey, round trip, to a 4-star hotel and have money nearby to cover our needs, "said our interlocutor. In addition, this situation is consolidated by the fact that there are many airlines between the two countries, with fairly common travel frequencies.
According to data from the Turkish Ministry of Tourism at the end of November 2019, the number of Moroccan arrivals amounted to 217,696 admissions, compared to 162,754 a year earlier. A figure that should also continue this rapid growth for the year 2020, according to analyzes by the said ministry.
However, the kingdom is in second position among the African countries which yield the most to Turkish charm. Indeed, Morocco is overtaken by Algeria, which despite the obligation of entry visa for its citizens, still totaled 276,084 arrivals. The top 5 African countries visiting Turkey include, in addition to Algeria and Morocco, Libya, Egypt and South Africa.
The question that currently arises is whether Morocco will adopt an “aggressive” strategy to promote the local destination with Turkish visitors, where it will be content to continue to attract markets where the kingdom is very present in the hearts, in particular the 'Europe, China, Japan, England and the USA.
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