Attendees at this year's ITB China may have noticed that North African nations took up a considerable amount of floor space at the event, and this is proof of their rising popularity among travellers from China and the greater Asian region.
North Africa is the seven-nation cluster made up of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and the Western Sahara.
These are countries with an average of between 3,000 to at least 5,000 years of recorded history and stand at the cultural crossroads, offering richly diverse areas for intrepid travellers to explore.
In recent years, the number of inbound travellers from the Far East has risen significantly, making the region a destination to watch on a global scale.
Morocco works to get China Ready
Travel Daily Media has the privilege of attending a panel discussion featuring Achraf Fayda, chief executive of the Moroccan National Tourism Office, yesterday, 27th May.
Fayda spoke about how Chinese travellers are making their way to his country, citing the return of Royal Air Maroc's direct route between Beijing and Casablanca which currently flies three times a week but will be expanded to at least seven weekly flights in the near future.
This is just one way by which Morocco has been working to adapt to the evolving needs of Asian travellers, the Chinese in particular.
Indeed, as Fayda puts it: "We are working to make Morocco China Ready."
China Ready is a certification awarded to countries whose tourism facilities help make trips easier for Chinese travellers.
As of 9th May, Fayda and his team are begun the process of earning that certification and Morocco stands to become the first nation in North Africa to get it.
As a way of fast-tracking the process, Morocco plans to hold a B2B event later this year, matching up to 60 major Chinese travel agencies with their local counterparts.
This will be key in boosting the number of Chinese tourists in the country, as Morocco welcomed 106,000 Chinese nationals last year.
Photo courtesy of the Tunisian Tourism OfficeTunisia: 30,000 Chinese visitors and counting
Earlier today at the Tunisia booth, we had the privilege of sitting down with Anouar Chetoui, chief representative of the Tunisian Tourism Office in Beijing.
Chetoui pointed out that, in terms of Chinese tourists alone, Tunisia is set to welcome up to 30,000 by the end of this year.
While this seems considerably small with reference to the 11 million foreign arrivals projected for 2025, China remains a significant source market for the country.
Chetoui said: "We will continue our promotional activities for Tunisia in the Chinese market, as well as the rest of the global market. We are going to have a media trip to Tunisia by the end of June where we're going to invite Chinese stars to the country."
This promotional endeavour will involve the participation of at least six Chinese key opinion leaders, immersing them in Tunisia's cultural wonders to enable them to promote the destination to their followers.
Aviation is key
As with Morocco, Tunisia is also working to boost it's capabilities in terms of direct air routes.
As Chetoui remarked: "Without aviation, there would be no tourism; it is crucial for it. But we are working to establish the first direct flight between Tunis and Beijing."
Projected to launch by next year, this initiative will make things so much easier for travellers.
Such inroads to convenience are necessary, given the positive results that Tunisian President Kais Saied's state visit to China last year had on economics, industry, and tourism.
Chetoui said: "Now we are getting more visits from higher economic delegations from China, and our countries are discussing greater cooperation, and tourism is one of the topics being discussed."
Tunisia and Morocco are not the only ones ramping up their aviation capabilities, as their regional neighbours are also working on making themselves more accessible by air.
Beyond cultural tourism
North Africa, especially Egypt, has long been known for its rich cultural and historical value to humanity.
Indeed, Egypt is renowned for its Great Egyptian Museum (GEM), and its popularity as a destination has been bolstered throughout the decades by film and literature.
In recent years, thanks to global raconteurs like the late Anthony Bourdain, North African nations have gained greater renown for their gastronomic heritage throughout the world.
But beyond these cultural marvels, the region is also gaining ground as a premier destination for the MICE trade, seeing how some nations allow events like corporate retreats to be held Bedouin or Berber style in tents in the Sahara.
Sports tourism in the form of golf in Tunisia and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Morocco is also getting pride of place, and will be instrumental in further growth in terms of tourist numbers.
While China sets its eye on North Africa, the region hopes that it will not only appeal to the Chinese, but also to the rest of an adventure-seeking world.
