From the Classroom: Proficiency Presentations 3

The third presentation in my Proficiency class dealt with Marrakesh and tourism in Morocco.

Since 2001, Morocco has very actively pursued foreign tourism as a means to boost the economy. In 2001, there were 4 million tourists, a number officials sought to raise to 10 million within a few years.

Morocco has a long tardition of tourism: it is an exotic destination with a romantic image in the Western world. It has great diversity in geography, ethnicity, cooking, and languages. It is very close to Europe and not too expensive. And with the assumption of the throne by Mohammed VI, there was more political impetus behind reform that would help increase tourism.

One key change was the issue of human rights--many Westerners choose travel destinations with human rights in mind. So there were changes put in place to reform Morocco's image on human rights. Infrastructure was improved and money was invested in areas crucial for the tourism industry.

The section on Moroccan tourism in general ended with a discussion about the problem of identity. If Morocco is always selling its own culture, at what point does it become only a product to be consumed by Westerners and not actually their own culture anymore. Sex tourism was also mentioned as a downside of this tourism boom.

The second part of the presentation, given by a student from Marrakesh, dealt with the history and sites of Marrakesh. It has been an important city since 1062, and the succeeding dynasties (Almohades, Merinides, Saadines, Alaouites) all have used it in some way or another.

Important tourist sites include Jamaa EL Fna, a gigantic open square with big restaurants in the open, snake charmers and modern shopping. Night clubs like Pascha, local swimming pools and food were all also mentioned.

The conclusion was that Marrakesh is a beautiful mix of tradition and modernity.