French Accor group wants to contribute to Morocco's tourism development

Accor, Europe's leading tourism group, said it wishes to contribute to Morocco's drive to gain 10 million tourists by 2010.

"Morocco is a politically stable country and this stability is very important for foreign investors," said Marc Thepot, head of Accor's Morocco branch.

Morocco is currently enforcing an ambitious policy to have 10 million tourists by 2010. The policy revolves around developing tourism infrastructures, including sea resorts and the increase of hotels' accommodation capacity.

Thepot said his group is now at half way regarding the objective it set back in 1996 when it signed a convention with the Moroccan government for the construction of 7,000 rooms by 2008. "We want to show that we wish to be permanently present on the Moroccan market," he said.

Thepot said Accor will dedicate several projects in Morocco in 2002 including two low-price hotels, a thalasso-therapy station and a sea-side restaurant.

The group currently employs 1,860 people in Morocco, Thepot said, noting that his group's major project in Morocco is to build the Casa City Center in downtown Casablanca. Accor will invest 100 million Euros to build the center, he said. "The center will include a congress compound, offices, trade areas, cinemas and three large hotels of 750 rooms," he said.