MOROCCO HOSTS 7TH MEETING OF PAN-ARAB TOURISM
Casablanca - Nour-eddine Saoudi
The seventh edition of the international Meeting of Pan-Arab Tourism and Umrah was held on 29th – 30th March, 2006 in the Sheraton Casablanca hotel. The event was organized by the international Arab company for the organisation of exhibitions and congresses, with the sponsorship of the "international Mawaddah Group" and "The Way to Umrah". The main aim of the exhibition was to offer business opportunities to large groups and Arab tourism establishments, to promote the programs of religious tourism and other types of tourism and to exchange experiences in order to revitalise Pan-Arab tourism in general and religious tourism in particular.
This meeting, the first of its kind in Casablanca, provided a real opportunity for Arab operators in the tourism sector, travel agencies, transport companies, lodging and hotel trade establishments and other institutions offering various tourism and religious services, to make known and promote their services and to sign contracts and cooperation agreements in their fields.
The organizers succeeded in bringing together about 70 Arab companies which took part through specific stands. Travel agencies and lodging companies were the main participants. This event was in competition with other activities such as the inauguration of major tourism projects in Casablanca and a conference on tourism in Tangier, but tourism professionals, and Moroccan travel agencies and tourism services establishments were still eager to attend.
Islamic Tourism participated in this exhibition through its own stand and the presence of its publisher Mr. Shakiry and all the staff of the Casablanca Office. They had discussions with exhibitors and visitors, to whom they explained the aims of the magazine and its website, namely highlighting Arab-Muslim destinations and their architectural treasures and putting them on the map of international tourism, as well as the promotion of the religious, human and civilised values of tourism. Copies of Islamic Tourism were distributed to the many visitors who visited our stand and who appreciated the high quality of our magazine.
In Morocco there are around 250 travel agencies specialized in Umrah. The annual quota determined by the Saudi authorities for Moroccans is 40,000 persons. | 
