2018 is shaping up to be a very interesting year for tourism professionals in Fez, as the number of tourists visiting the city of Fez has grown significantly this year.
Professionals are 71% hotels and 23% guesthouses in the medina, the latter having a capacity of 9,400 beds. The growth percentage over the first three quarters of 2018 is 21%, a nice increase compared to 2017 and 2016.
The context of North African countries has not regained the splendor of its great years of tourism activity. This is also the reason why Morocco, and Fez in particular, are seeing growth in tourist arrivals.
The tourism market in Fez is driven by identified markets, first of all the French market, which represents 12% of additional overnight stays, then the United States market, which is growing by +38%, the Germans by +51%, the Spanish by +42% and the Japanese market by +22%.
Fez’s hotel capacity
Several hotels are still under construction or renovation to increase Fez’s capacity, with 165 classified establishments currently in operation. Development strategies for Fez should focus on developing religious and spiritual tourism and expanding low-cost regular flights to Africa.
Experts agree that the growth in Fez’s tourism development should continue. Fez and its medina represent a world-renowned attraction, especially since the old town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
A medina full of curiosities
Fez and its medina are authentic and represent, for every traveler, a curiosity, an adventure and a legend. But Fez is also full of other treasures, particularly in its green and mountainous region. If we were to mention a few points of interest, we should linger on Moulay Yacoub, known for its natural thermal spring.
The Fez region also holds historical treasures with Volubilis, the thousand-year-old Roman city, which impresses visitors with the quality of the tilework still visible in the baths, hammams and other living quarters.
Fez and its region also boast mountains, with Ifrane, the Moroccan Switzerland, Bhalil and its troglodyte village where absinthe tea is served by the villagers. Not to mention the exceptional views along the road to Meknes, the cedar forest and its free-roaming monkeys.