50 Years of Discovering Morocco!

In 2019, it was commemorated that the Netherlands and Morocco established official relations in the tourism sector 50 years ago. This made the Netherlands one of the first European countries to establish relations with Morocco in this area.

Atlasbridges/I amorocco and its partners (including the Dutch Embassy in Morocco, the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism, the Moroccan Ministry of MRE, the Office Nationale Marocain Tourism (ONMT) and a number of tour operators, airlines and travel organizations) wanted to take this fact in 2019 as the common thread for their activities. Atlasbridges and its partners placed their activities under this 'flag' as much as possible that year and the following year.

In 2020, the activity program of Atlasbridges/I amorocco and B2Benelux paid attention to various aspects of the culture and history between the Netherlands and Morocco from the perspective of 50 years of mutual ties.

Naturally, we reflected on the developments in tourism and culture over the past 50 years. However, we thought it was more important to keep an eye on the future; After all, more than 150,000 Dutch tourists visit Morocco every year. What can Moroccans and Dutch learn from each other in cultural, social and economic areas? The activities should ensure that these two communities gain a new perspective on their relationship and their shared history.

The development of bilateral relations between Morocco and the Netherlands offers us the opportunity to delve into each other's history and share our cultural wealth and is also a prerequisite for continuing this history on a new basis and finding a way to achieve a harmonious multicultural society. To make this project, which promotes exchanges between these two communities, a sustainable success, it is crucial to continue to establish, develop and maintain contacts with municipalities and regions of both countries.

The aim of '50 Years of Tourism with Morocco' was, on the one hand, to show how this meeting has gone so far and to recall its most important events. On the other hand, we wanted to commemorate and honor our shared history by organizing various events in a number of major cities in the Netherlands and Morocco.

Since 2019, Atlasbridges/I amorocco has started many projects together with its partners in the areas of language, culture, economy, education and tourism. These projects have given a boost to the relationship between Morocco and the Netherlands.

Organized festivities

Brainstorming with Tour Operators and partners.Kick-off event, Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam.Starting festivities with the launch of the portal “Visit Morocco”, Rabat-Morocco.Opening Exhibition “Rue du Maroc”,Rabat-Morocco.The launch of 2nd official guide about Morocco “Visit Morocco.Trade fair “Morocco Plus” in collaboration with Tour operators.Academy Year “Module Morocco” in collaboration with Universities of Tourism.Publication of research “Leisure behavior for young Moroccans”.An exchange program for Tourism students to Morocco in collaboration with colleges.Delegation mission “Morocco Experience” for Dutch tour operators. Delegation mission “Dutch Experience” for Moroccan tour operators. Morocco Expo “Morocco Plus 2019”.