{"id":201648,"date":"2018-09-27T07:00:40","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T10:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=201648"},"modified":"2018-09-28T14:11:58","modified_gmt":"2018-09-28T17:11:58","slug":"morocco-stands-out-at-abav-expo-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/morocco-stands-out-at-abav-expo-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Morocco stands out at Abav Expo 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Morocco has one of the largest and well-situated stands at the 46th<\/sup> edition of Abav International Tourism Expo 2018, the industry\u2019s fair that began this Wednesday (26) at Anhembi Parque, in S\u00e3o Paulo, and runs until Friday (28).<\/p>\n

Marking the country\u2019s fifth participation in the fair, the stand hosts twelve representatives of Moroccan travel agencies. The country\u2019s aim is to increase business and the number of Brazilian tourists. \u201cThe goal for the participation in the tourism fair is to offer a platform to the Moroccan professionals that came to do business directly with their Brazilian clients, making it easier for them,\u201d said the director-general of Morocco Tourism Office for Brazil and Portugal, Abdellatif Achachi, to ANBA.<\/p>\n

In addition to travel agencies, a representative from Royal Air Maroc is also at the stand. \u201c[The airline] is our partner, it makes sense to be here, it offers five weekly flights from Guarulhos to Casablanca, and three flights from Rio de Janeiro (Gale\u00e3o),\u201d said Achachi.<\/p>\n

The new feature by Royal Air Maroc is the purchase of a Boeing Dreamliner 787-900, which will be used in the route taking off from Guarulhos starting in October. The plane seats over 300 passengers, against the 273 seated by the Dreamliner 787-800 that currently used in the route. The 787-800 will be transferred to the route that takes off from Rio, which currently uses a Boeing 767, with a 240-seat capacity.<\/p>\n

Achachi said that, in the year\u2019s first half, there was a 31% hike in the number of Brazilian tourists in Morocco. \u201cLast year, we had 45,000 visitors, a 36% increase in the year, and we\u2019re expecting that this year this growth will be exceeded,\u201d said the director, mentioning that the number of Brazilian tourists has doubled the last two years, due to the rise in the number of direct flights by the Moroccan carrier.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a director, I\u2019ve been attending many meetings with tour operators, to do business and find out opportunities to strike partnerships with Brazilian companies to draft a special program to Morocco; this is a priority target, plus promote the Moroccan culture to the Brazilian public,\u201d said an optimistic Achachi.<\/p>\n

Achachi promoted Morocco\u2019s tourism website, told that Moroccan tourism is celebrating 100 years and that the country\u2019s planning to open an office in S\u00e3o Paulo, with not date set yet. The Moroccan stand also offers Arab coffee and a calligrapher that will write the name of visitors in Arabic, an attraction that has been forming a line (picture above)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(Continues after the photo gallery)<\/em><\/p>\n