Interview with Marie-Beatrice Lallemand, General Manager of Mazagan Beach Resort

In 2010 Morocco received 9.5 million visitors which was 12% growth from the year before.  How would you assess Morocco’s tourism and travel industry and what is the outlook in relation to the events we have seen in Morocco?

2010 was a good year and very successful if you consider where Morocco was coming from. Mazagan was also very successful and we achieved over 50% occupancy in the first year of operation. Unfortunately 2011 will be impacted by the events in North Africa and Mazagan has lot many groups and conferences due to the situation. 

It is only the beginning of March but I think that we need to be more visible and explain to the public that Morocco is a bit of an exception in North Africa. After all that has been done here to promote tourism it would be such a shame to see us be affected negatively by this situation.

What has been the response of the government, local, and regional authorities with regard to the crisis? Has there been a congruent effort to change the perception of the region or should more be done?

It all happened very quickly and the first people who have become aware of the impact of these events are in our industry. It is taking time to talk with the government and authorities and because we are on the business side we are more sensitive to the situation affecting us.

However, now I think everyone is aware of the impact of the situation on Morocco and that it is time to do something with communication and things are starting to happen now. There definitely is a will to get all the players on Morocco together and on the same page working together.

As a private operator are you happy with the response?

I am very happy because people are aware of the situation but it would be nicer if we could see faster results to move toward a solution. The will is there to save the summer season and I am pleased with that.

A lot has been done in Morocco’s tourism industry- how is Morocco special?

Morocco is a country with a rich history and tradition. The climate is so diverse so there is a lot to do. Morocco is less than three hours away from most of Europe and for a long time the French have been aware of this but the other European countries didn’t realize this.

It offers a unique environment, culture, and a way of life compared to Europe and this makes it very attractive. We have been very successful with the UK market as well and the Germans have started to discover Morocco too. Russian tourists are also becoming much more prevalent and I think Morocco is an ideal destination for them, and Mazagan offers an excellent all-inclusive atmosphere for them to vacation in.

The oceans, endless beaches, and sweet scented gardens make Mazagan a truly magical destination.  What is Mazagan’s story?

Local clientele and an airport really help places like this be successful and the decision to put Mazagan here was based heavily on location because that is everything in the hotel industry.  The surroundings give the resort an incredible affect and the beach has been rated one of the most beautiful on the Atlantic Ocean. 

Mazagan is in a very difficult position considering the ongoing economic turmoil in the world plus the recent regional events.  How do you sell Mazagan in light of all of these events?

By nature there will always be customers even though sometimes it might be tougher to attract them to your destination. We have our local market which is strong and provides us with regulars, we also cater to conferences and this 30-40% of our business can be made there, additionally, attracting international customers is also our goal. 

Our success might be due to the fact that we never put all of our eggs in the same basket or rely on one group in particular. We work closely with the airlines too and this is important when you want to promote a new destination. We have an excellent partnership with Royal Air Maroc and we are working with many other partners to create low cost promotions.

Though the traditional way of selling still exists with tour operators and agencies we still need to diversify our marketing strategy. We are very successful online and our volume of reservations made online is always increasing.  After a year of operation the brand of Mazagan is well positioned due to our marketing with Europe and people are aware of who we are. Sales and marketing are the bloodline of our business.

What are the emergency strategies you are going to implement in 2011 to counteract recent events? 

We are going to focus on packaging and direct sales. We have to work even more closely with the airlines because they are in a similar situation: they want to fill their planes and we want to fill our hotel. 

What kind of experience are you selling through Mazagan?

Mazagan is a new destination offering very authentic Morocco. Not many tourists or business tourists have come here so outside of Morocco you can see the real Morocco and inside Mazagan you will find a perfect destination.

We have so much to offer with 100 different activities on site and basically you name it, we have it.  We have a fantastic 18 hole-golf course along the sea in addition to excellent weather year round.  We also have an excellent spa for those seeking relaxation and we have been especially successful with families. We have a kids club for babies through teens and each cater to a specific age group. In the club we are have and are developing our outdoor activities for the kids to keep them active and everything is a la carte to accommodate families and allow for freedom for both parents and children. Many of our clients are international and we have been very popular with families from all over.

However, we have a very large casino that attracts a different type of clientele.  Our casino is 3,500 square meters and has 414 slot machines, 50 tables, and a salon privé. In the casino we also have Sanctuary Nightclub and this attracts the night owls. We try to cater to several different markets because we believe this makes us more successful.

We are attractive to the family, golf players, MICE, and to clienteles seeking nightlife and having a strong base in each segment will help Mazagan be successful in the future.

What is your vision for Mazagan in the future?

I think we can develop a lot more activities to make us more attractive and I have a new idea every 10 seconds. All of Mazagan’s success will depend on the ability of Morocco and the tourism industry to increase their airlift capacity. Currently there is not enough air traffic to Morocco and this isn’t bringing enough people to Morocco in general, not just to Mazagan.

Tourism is the future of the country and we need to focus on this because we have a beautiful coastline and rich culture to offer to our tourists. We have all the ingredients to become a prime destination for both the leisure and business traveler but people need to be able to come here to see this.