“When international tourism starts up again, we’ll be ready. But it will not be enough to be ready, it will be necessary to be relevant“. This is how Adel El Fakir introduced a long and fascinating presentation which describes how the Moroccan National Tourism Office, ONMT, has prepared for the revival of tourism.
After this epidemic, the world changed. The tourist has changed. The ONMT adapts to it. The tourism of tomorrow will be different from that of yesterday and the ONMT has launched a major study, in several countries, which has shaken up previous certainties and led to a totally new vision, but how convincing, in the eyes of the journalists present. .
While waiting, therefore, for the start of the resumption of tourism, the date of which no one knows, the boss of the ONMT presented, this Thursday, April 22 in Casablanca, the new marketing device which will be reserved, for domestic or international targets, in a timing which will depend on the evolution of the health situation.
A major study at the origin of a new commercial strategy
Shared on Wednesday, April 21, as a preview, with the entire profession (CNT, CRT), this sectoral recovery plan is based on the results of a study by the office, carried out among all issuing markets. foreigners (traditional and emerging) but also domestic.
According to El Fakir, “she not only has; made it possible to identify perceptions on the destination, its positioning and the motivations of potential visitors, but it also provided precise insights and a fine and nuanced knowledge of the levers of attraction for tourists ”.
A new segmentation of audiences
The conclusions of this in-depth work, on the source markets and on the trends, in collaboration with Moroccan and foreign operators, made it possible to set up a new relaunch strategy which will be based on new brands or targets.
In fact, in light of the lessons learned from this study, the office has adopted a new brand architecture, based on segmentation of its audiences.
A Corporate brand
First, the creation of a new ONMT brand which will have “the mission of continuously delivering ONMT content, in order to animate and federate the various stakeholders, for maximum influence of the Morocco destination”. A “strong, autonomous and useful” brand, which will be “informative, relational, formative”. It will target b2b Morocco and international as well as Moroccan actors. It will be the “main source of information & communication, in matters of promotion of Moroccan tourism”.
For this, a new visual identity and a specific strategic platform, dedicated to interactions with the professional and institutional ecosystem of the office, have been implemented, both nationally and internationally.
Domestic tourism and MRE become one
The 2th priority brand, entitled Ntla9awfbladna, will be dedicated to the promotion of internal tourism, among Moroccans, both locals and residents abroad (MRE), to strengthen their sense of belonging and make people want to discover their country differently.
Thanks to televised advertising campaigns, operational in a few days, the ONMT’s communication will make it possible to prepare the summer season 2021, for the domestic market.
A future major international communication campaign
The last axis will, as a priority, to overhaul the historic Visitmorocco brand, dedicated to the promotion of the Morocco destination, to international tourists, through a new communication campaign, prepared by one of the largest agencies (BETC).
This campaign will first be launched in the main source markets (France, Spain, UK, Germany, United States, Israel, etc.) then should be extended to other countries at the appropriate time.
It should be broadcast as soon as the conditions for the return of foreigners to Morocco are met.
Be ready to adapt to the new expectations of a demand that will explode
According to El Fakir, the results of the study, at the origin of the new strategy, will make it possible to be ready at the time of the recovery but, above all, to be relevant for better communication, when the time comes.
The objective is to be as responsive as possible, to be able to restart, in a few days, after the end of the pandemic and the lifting of restrictive national and international traffic measures.
With global demand which will certainly explode, it will indeed be necessary to adapt to the new expectations of tourists, which have changed a lot, with a new discourse and type of communication.
In the end, if the tourism sector has been hard hit by the pandemic, for a year, El Fakir wanted to be very optimistic, ensuring that the new strategy of the ONMT will allow him to be ready to adapt. , at the demand which should explode, as soon as the world health situation improves.
The presentation of Adel El Fakir can be unfolded or read here.
Below, the videos of the presentation of the director of the ONMT (In 3 parts)