Travel Agents' Special! How to talk about Morocco to your clients

Azdean Elmoustaquim: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Destination Morocco podcast, the show that takes you away to the beautiful country of Morocco. I am your host, Azdean Elmoustaquim. In each episode, we explore Moroccan culture, history, attractions, and activities. Real and practical information about Morocco. Coming from experienced travellers and native Moroccans like myself.

And now, let's go exploring.

Welcome fellow travel agents to another exciting episode of Destination Morocco podcast. Today, we're diving into the world of crafting unforgettable Moroccan experiences for your clients. We'll uncover the secrets of transforming their travel dreams into reality. So, let's embark on this journey together and unlock the magic of Morocco.

So, [00:01:00] for this episode, we have Ted back with us. Welcome back, Ted. It's always amazing to have you. We're very grateful for you. So it's going to be a really, really very informative episode and a lot of fun. 

Ted Cragg: Yeah, thanks very much. So it's fun to be here. And um, this is a bit of a different episode. So for everyone listening, this is going to be going out on our podcast feed as a regular episode.

For our regular listeners, you Probably find this a little different focus because we really want to do something that speaks to the travel agents and the travel industry, who, of course, we work with a lot and we get a lot of their questions. And there's a particular challenges and questions that they have about, you know, framing Morocco, talking about it, explaining it to their clients.

So you might find that some of that focus and, and, uh, the angle of what. we're talking about here is a little bit different from our usual episode. So if you're wondering why that's the case, this is why, because we really want to talk to, to the travel agents. It's a bit of a behind the scenes look maybe of how [00:02:00] Destination Morocco does things and sells tours and puts everything together.

And for me too, I was excited to be here because I don't know if I've really talked about this much, but my background is travel and tourism as well. I mean, I work in podcasting now, but for years I was a tour guide and a tour director and Worked in travel and tourism in the park service in Canada too.

So I've always been interested in the industry and just kind of the behind the scenes look as well. So I can speak to some of that, but I'm happy to help, uh, have the conversation here with Azdean. 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: So what do we have today then? 

Ted Cragg: Yeah. So some of this, well, I mean, most of this has come from, you know, the, uh, conversations, the interactions that you've had with people over, over the months and years, and, uh, we've been.

try to compile it all here in one place, but explaining a bit about what it takes to sell tours and explain people what Morocco is like and how to get from the curiosity stage maybe to the point where people are actually booking and they're excited to go of course. So I think starts with the travel agents [00:03:00] hear from clients that you know Morocco is calling, it's really interesting and it's exciting, but the planning feels overwhelming.

So how as travel agents can they start to address that overwhelm and the psychology behind that? Like how much do travel agents need to know? In order to talk about Morocco to their people. 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: That's a really good question, Ted. Actually, they don't really need to know much because that's where we come in.

You just need to know a little bit, you know, know the location of Morocco, a little bit, you know, cities. But the key here is the tour operator, who's going to back you up, who's going to answer all the questions for you that your clients have and, and, and the support that you need. You and your client will receive from the tour operator.

So that's what I would recommend for travel agents. Select the right tour operator to work with. You know, whether you're in the niche of adventure, family, any type of travel, that's, that's the tour operator that you need to be working with. So that's really, really the key. Select the right tour operator for you first, [00:04:00] and then the knowledge you'll get it from the tour operator.

Ted Cragg: So if you're a travel agent, where do you start? What kind of questions would they ask of you? the operator, where to start planning? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Well, there's lots of questions. Um, and I always ask them, you know, if they have booked their clients, different destinations, look at those destinations. They need to know what their clients like and what they do not like and what they like to experience.

Are they a history buff? Are they like adventure or they like leisure? 

Ted Cragg: What kind of, kind of presentation maybe does, do people need to prepare for their clients in terms of like, uh, brochures or pamphlets and just getting maybe enough information without the client then also being overwhelmed? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Well, there's a lot of information online and sometimes that really gets confusing.

Um, I would say just, just a simple itinerary should do because, uh, you know, you don't want to do information overload because it's just going to confuse the clients. So just give them what they need [00:05:00] and don't overwhelm them. So that's what they reach out to you, because you're the expert, and that's what I would recommend.

Ted Cragg: And then how about in turn, like, what kind of questions can the travel agents ask of their clients, potential clients, to gauge their knowledge and interest about Morocco? I mean, they may have some people coming in who've done lots of research, and they know, and other people have largely no clue, but You know, they've heard about Morocco and they want to learn more.

Like what kind of questions to get that process going? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: It's just ask them the same questions again, pick the, the, the, the previous destinations, what did they like? You know, did they have any, um, dietary restrictions? Um, did they, uh, are they, you know, uh, did they like history versus. You know, um, adventure or this or that or camping and stuff like that.

So those are, you know, when a travel agent works with their client already, they have a lot of information. That information is really, really valuable, especially when you, when you're traveling to Morocco, because yeah, Morocco is different than other destinations, [00:06:00] but there's some. Common components or you know that you can take in consideration say, hey, you know, we did this in when we were for example in Egypt or in Tanzania or South Africa and it's going to be the same thing with a little bit of a Moroccan twist, you know, to the local destination and stuff like that.

So those are those questions are really, really important. And also a lot of travel agents, they know their clients better than anyone and they work with them time and again. So it really minimizes that question. Say, hey, you know, I know my client like this and they don't like this. So, and that's where we go by.

So, yeah, they have, they may not seem like they, they know, you know, the destination is just a different destination, but they know everything else about their clients. And that's, that's extremely valuable. 

Ted Cragg: Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah. And that leads to, I mean, travel agents, they do often have repeat customers and, you know, who are looking to just go and try out different places and different destinations.

What about people who maybe are fairly new to booking with travel [00:07:00] agent? They don't often do it, but for a number of reasons, they, they want to go that route when it comes to Morocco. So how do travel agents best communicate the role that they play in explaining and selling tours 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: That's a really good question.

In that case, they need to reach out to us and get as much knowledge, uh, information as possible. Just get, you know, a lot of questions asked and answered because that's going to give you a little bit of background, a little bit of knowledge about Morocco. And then when, when you have people asking you or, you know, sending you inquiries, you have a little bit of information to go with, but then you say, hey, you know, I can't find that more.

Let's let's set up a one on one and when they set up that one on one we talk to them or the tour operator talks to them before that and then we give them more options. More options, more information, and so forth. So when they speak to their client, they already have the background. They already know the knowledge and it's fresh.

And again, you know, Morocco, it's, it's very unique. It's very, it's a beautiful destination and it [00:08:00] always split into north and south, you know, seven days, eight days north, and then so forth. Then a combination, if more days are, you know, are allowed and stuff like that. So, and it really, really helps. 

Ted Cragg: That reminds me, another thing we often talk about on this show is the misconceptions and the stereotypes that people have about Morocco.

How can the agents best address those common misconceptions then and kind of respond to any resistance they may hear from potential clients about Morocco? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: That's a really good question, Ted, because I remember we did this, uh, it was an episode that we did a couple of months ago and episode did really, really good because of those misconceptions.

There's a lot of them. I would definitely recommend going to that episode and listen to them. There's misconception when it comes to safety, when it comes to, to many, many things. So it's a really deep question. Uh, but there's a lot of misconceptions that we have answered during that question. So I highly recommend it.

Yeah. 

Ted Cragg: Yeah, so that was episode, uh, [00:09:00] number 64, which came out July 1st of 2024. It's called Top Misconceptions About Morocco. And, uh, yeah, you really address a lot of those common concerns and stereotypes and the things that people might assume about Morocco, but they don't really know. And so you guys are the experts to set the record straight.

So we'll put that link in. for that, Ted. All right. Well, I mean, let's talk about The nature of your tours and, you know, and the thing that makes you guys really stand out is the fact that you are locals, that you're born and raised in Morocco and, um, you know what you're talking about. You've been in the industry for a long time and you have those kinds of local connections and understanding that, uh, there may be multinational or different kinds of corporations and tour operators.

They may have a base, they may have some kind of connection there, but they're not really from Morocco. Like for you guys, you're Morocco, that's where you're from. So it does give you that deeper understanding. And, uh, um, how does that [00:10:00] incorporate into how you design your tours? Like, does it give you a different perspective knowing what, you know, what people want to see?

Azdean Elmoustaquim: It does give us an advantage because, you know, there's a lot of things, you know, the big operators, uh, they may not have access to, but we have access to it. We're not a big company. We are a small company. And what makes us special is the, the relationship we have with our suppliers as well, you know, freelancers, you know, local guides, uh, tour leaders, national guides, villages, if you would, experiences, if you would, and that network, it's, it's one on one network.

It's in the base level. of networks, if you would. So it's, it's very personal. So, you know, this, this person, for example, in Haddou, this person in Imalil, this person in, um, you know, what is that, or, you know, the desert and so forth. So that's what gives us that, that edge and that flexibility, because we can reach out to them versus going through the, you know, the corporate ladder or the system, you [00:11:00] know, you have to do this before doing that and stuff like that for, Other large tool operators.

Ted Cragg: Does that make you, I would think, you're able to kind of adapt and be a little more flexible if people want to make changes or special requests? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yeah, very flexible and also, yes, absolutely, with the special requests as well. Yeah, definitely. 

Ted Cragg: So let's talk a bit about logistics. I mean, I'm sure common questions are, well, what is the transport like?

What is the timing like? You know, uh, am I going to be driving all the time? Is it going to be kind of go, go, go? Is it, if I'm on a tour, right? And people are talking to their, their agent. Um, so there's some of those logistics and meals, free timing. How do you ensure that all those things are balanced? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yeah, in terms of the logistics, it's, it's very complex.

I mean, it starts way before the, the, the guest comes to Morocco and then everything is taken care of from the moment they arrive until the moment they depart. So we always work a day or two ahead of. Just making sure that everything goes smooth [00:12:00] and so forth. So there's a lot of logistics and planning when it comes to transportation.

Um, you have your car and driver pick you up every day after you have breakfast at the Riyadh or the hotel. And it depends, you know, if it's private tour, if it's a group tour, the group tour, It's a little bit more complex than the private tour because there's, there's less, less travelers on the private tour versus the group tour.

The group tour you always have to allow yourself a margin, a little bit of time, you know, just for things to get right, for the people to get together, to get to the bus or, you know, and so forth like that. So you always want to give yourself that 45 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, sometimes an hour, just to make sure you're not rushing people and also you're not.

missing out something on that destination to go to the next stop and so forth. So it's just, you have to plan it right, but also you have to make sure, like you said, Ted, uh, when you plan, you don't plan too much during the day, you know, just plan some certain things, but also you want to give the client a little bit of a [00:13:00] freedom.

To enjoy the destination themselves, just like you did, for example, in Marrakech or in Fes, you take that little extra day because you just want to feel, hey, because you're not used to somebody planning stuff for you. It's like, hey, I feel good. I feel confident. I can take a walk, you know, with the family and the kids.

So, And, and that's, that's really, really important when you're planning a, a, uh, a tour. So you don't want to pack everything from the moment they, they get into the vehicle until you drop them off and dinner. It's just, they're going to get really, really tired. So you have to plan it right. So normally, we split the day in, you know, first half and second half.

And also you have the third half and that's for, for dinner and stuff like that. You know, dinner or You know, a spy experience, hammam experience and stuff like that. So you have to, yes, you have to manage the time, right? Then you have to plan it right and don't over plan. 

Ted Cragg: Yeah. Now, so what role does the, the client have in planning their itinerary?

Then in collaboration with the travel agent, with their agent, who in turn is talking to [00:14:00] you. Because it can seem like a bit of a complex process, but what's the communication and process of putting an itinerary together? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: What makes the process easy is the questions that the travel agents ask their clients.

Because when you ask a lot of questions, you are, you know, you are engaged in that conversation, you are in control of that conversation. And also, you're eager to learn more about the client and their wants and needs and so forth. So, and then when you, those questions that you have, you come back to us and say, Hey, you know, um, this is what we can do.

Um, I'll give you an example. Sometimes they'll say, Hey, I have five days. Um, I love Fes. I want to go to Fes. I want to go to that city. It's blue. I don't remember the name of it. Oh, it's Shifshawan. Yeah, yeah. Shifshawan. Okay. And then I want to do the desert experience. And then we explain to them, we cannot really do it in five days.

We have to split, you know, either you can see the The north side of Morocco or the south side, if you have five days, then we say, Hey, what are you staying? Um, what's your, you know, arrival city? What's your departure city? For example, they say, Hey, you know, I'm, I'm arriving to Casablanca [00:15:00] and departing from Casablanca.

However, I haven't bought the tickets yet. And, you know, this trip is, is let's say September of 2025. We would recommend, Hey, you know, if five days, it's not a lot, but when you arrive to Casablanca, Depart from Fes. So that way, if you're going through Europe, it's easier. You start in Casablanca, you go up North and you do your side visit and all those really imperial cities.

And then afterwards, you don't, you don't waste time going back to Casablanca and then traveling. You can just travel, take, you know, uh, from, from Fes. We do this quite a bit with a lot of people that are traveling through Europe. So what really the, the, the starting point is the arrival date. For example, we are arriving in Casablanca, departing city.

Those are important. It's, it helps know how to create the right itinerary very accurately. First, I'll give an example. Let's say you say, Hey, I have five days coming from Casablanca, departing Casablanca. Then we can, we can plan something around it. But if you say, Hey, I'm not sure what, what day I'm coming versus, you know, [00:16:00] I'm probably going to be arriving in Marrakech, maybe departing from Marrakech.

We don't know. So we just, we don't put, for example, September 1st, As your starting date, we just put day one, but then when you have that information, then it's, we'll update it. And the item is going to say September 1st, but then we're always going to go back and make those changes. So it's very important to know the arrival city and the departure city, because it helps us, even though if you don't know the time, it's not an issue, but then the time will play a big role as well.

Once you know it and, and they booked their flight. And then we can say, Hey, you know, you're arriving to Casablanca early morning, which is good. We'll take you to the hotel, get some rest, and then we can do a little bit of sightseeing in the city. But then if you're arriving in the afternoon or late, then we cannot do that until the next day.

So that's really, that's the start of the questions that the travel agent needs to know or ask their clients. And then, you know, they want to see the North side. They want to see the South side. Be generic more than specific. And then when we [00:17:00] start building the itinerary, when, when, when we first. Craft the itinerary, we present it to the travel agent, then they present it to their client, and there's a little bit of back and forth unless we do, you know, like, like this, like a live, we can make the changes on demand, for example, and then we start making the changes that are needed, making the recommendations and so forth until the itinerary is completely finalized.

That's what I would recommend. Then when the itinerary is finalized, then it becomes a proposal and then we hone in and Into the details, you know day one This is what's gonna be day two day three and so forth and so forth until everything is is approved by By the agent and and for the agent everything is approved by their client.

Ted Cragg: Yeah, okay Well, it's good to know that process. So, this comes back to when, as you've often said, uh, to try to plan, to plan ahead as best you can, as far ahead as you can, because doing this last minute, you'd be, you'd kind of run out of quite a few options. Yeah, 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: last minute is, [00:18:00] is, uh, It's very challenging.

You know, the good thing is, you know, a lot of respect to travel agents. When they do this, they do it really, really, really ahead of time. It's, it's the B2C that it's, that is challenging when it comes to last minute. So when the B2B it's, it's definitely not an issue because the travel advisors, they, they do it right.

Ted Cragg: Yeah, for sure. And then what do you do when people have like particular interests or even if they want to go a step further and say, I'd like a themed tour, like they want to do a food tour, maybe with cooking classes and going tours around the market and stuff like that, or it could be history or who knows, could be something cultural or even architecture or whatever it is like, how can you incorporate those demands?

And then really the other question that's related is like, yeah. Do those things kind of supersede the regular priorities, the regular things people might see, like the regular touristy kind of spots, like, are you able to incorporate both, depending on how much time you have? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yes, that's a really [00:19:00] good question.

Yeah, because, um, The food tour normally it's, it's, it's done either in the afternoon or early evening. I would recommend early evening, uh, because there's, uh, you know, it's, it's actually food tasting tour. So you, you're sampling the food throughout, for example, if you're in Marrakech, which we recommend.

always. You sample a lot of food from different places, you know, um, some delicacies, some stuff, sweets, olives, and stuff like that. So, and, and then at the end, uh, you know, if you still have room for dinner, we can stop by and have a quick bite as well. But you can do all those things in one day. For example, you know, in the morning we can do the, the history.

When you do the history, the, the, the, the art and architecture, all those are, are in the same, you know, you talk about them in the same. If you go, for example, we still in Marrakech, we're talking about, you know, Ibn Yusuf, we talk about, you know, the secret gardens or, you know, um, uh, Bahia Palace and stuff like that.

So you'll see those things during the day. [00:20:00] And then, you know, you have your lunch, take a little break and then we'll pick you up and do the, uh, the, the, the walking tour. So that way you're not tired. So there's, there's a break. We can, we can plan it that way and we recommend it that way. So. And also, you can do cooking classes as well and, um, sometimes the Riyadh where you're staying will conduct them.

Sometimes we'll do an offsite, a different Riyadh or a different location, whether you're in Fes, whether you're in the desert, or whether you're near Marrakech. And those are really, really good experiences. And normally the cooking class, it just depends. If you go to the market or if everything is just planned for you at the Riyadh, then you go into the Riyadh and everything is pre prepared and done.

That will take probably a couple hours. But if you go to the market and select your, your, you know, your vegetables, your meat and all that stuff, then it'll take probably about four hours or so. That's good, 

Ted Cragg: yeah, there's lots of options 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: for sure. Yeah, absolutely. 

Ted Cragg: And that kind of leads into, like, how do you go beyond the typical tourist spots?

So if people [00:21:00] want to see a bit more, see something a little different, is it easy to incorporate that into your plans and itineraries? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yes, definitely. And a lot of spots, you know, even if they are really touristy, you can still Get to them at a time that they are not really packed and busy. For example, Eid Bin Haddou, It's obviously, it is a major, major stop, very important, but you cannot, you know, go through wards without seeing it.

But, but the difference is planning what time to see it. And the best time to see it is really early in the morning. And again, but you have to plan it ahead of time, depending where you're staying, where you're coming from. So a lot of people, they, they visit it normally You know, I would say between 2 to 5 p.

m. when it's, when it gets really, really busy and it's packed and, uh, they may change their, you know, affect their experience. So, again, a lot of places just, I recommend, you know, planning it right, uh, departing from wherever you're coming from and timing it the right way so you can enjoy that, that [00:22:00] site, uh, because there's, there's just one.

So, um, you know, everybody wants to go and see it, but then for the other experiences and, and, and places, yes, we do random as well. So that way it's, it, it feels like, you know, it's just you and the destination and, you know, that specific spot and you're enjoying it tremendously. So 

Ted Cragg: that's nice. Does it, how much does it depend on the time of year?

Like are there real busy times here and times where it's really quiet? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Well, summertime, you know, we always say summertime is slow, but it's still busy because, you know, depending on the location, like Tangier, Tangier is super busy during the summertime. Marrakech is busy throughout the year. Casablanca, it's not so much, uh, you know, with the mosque and a few other destinations.

So each city really has its peak time and stuff like that. But Morocco as a destination, it's quiet, a little bit quiet during July and August, and then the, the, the, the first two weeks of December, but everything else, it's really, really packed. Yeah. 

Ted Cragg: So [00:23:00] let's just remind people, what are the best times of year that you recommend people go?

Azdean Elmoustaquim: The best time of the year that I would recommend is go between March and, and May, and that's, that's, that's the number one time. Time that I would recommend the second, I would recommend June. Then I would recommend mid September because, you know, in summertime, Morocco is busy because a lot of Moroccans are coming from Europe, from United States and so forth, especially the school system in Europe is different than the U S and that's why the Moroccans coming from Europe, they, sometimes they take a vacation a month or two months and then they go back.

So they, they always come back, you know, to Morocco in July and August, but they have to go at certain point before school starts. The same thing for the U. S. The U. S., they have school starting different times, depending on, you know, the state, the city, and so forth. So those are really kind of busy months.

And then I would say mid September is good. It's still going to be hot. October is good. November is good. But [00:24:00] you'll see the, the, the change of the temperature slightly, slowly, not so much. You notice it during. probably during the day, but during early morning, late, late, you know, when the sun goes down, you'll see the temperature change.

And then it gets really cold December, January and February. 

Ted Cragg: Okay. 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yes. And then, you know, you can still travel in February, but it's going to be a little bit of rain, a little bit of cold. If you're reminded, then you're good. 

Ted Cragg: And there'd be a lot fewer crowds by then. Yes. Yes. So, I mean, as far as you guys are concerned, you can do things year round, if that's when people want to go, 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: right?

Yes, that is true. So we, we do year round because again, different people, they take vacation at different times and so forth and so forth. So, and we plan accordingly to the time that they have available. 

Ted Cragg: What about some like, um, surprise, unexpected things, features you can add to a tour, what are those ideas, and is that something that you coordinate with the travel agent, or?[00:25:00]

Is it more directly with the client once they're on the tour? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: We have to coordinate with the travel agent. We cannot do anything without the approval of the, the, the travel agent. Obviously we let them know and say, Hey, you know, what's, you know, what's the reason they're visiting Morocco? What's why and so forth.

And it's like, Hey, you know, they're celebrating the. You know, 25th anniversary, and then we just plan something and say, Hey, this is what we're going to do for them as a surprise. And then, you know, when the surprise happens, it just, it's just, it's magical. It's very beautiful, you know, whether it's, you know, dinner, whether it's, you know, um, all kinds of stuff that we plan for them, but obviously we don't do anything without the approval of the travel agents because we represent them.

Ted Cragg: Yeah. And then let's, uh, bring it back to, well here, we're talking here, it's getting late 2024, and people are planning ahead in 25 and so on. What are some emerging trends in Morocco travel that we should be aware of right now? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Oh, there's, there's so many. A lot of the travelers now, [00:26:00] they're traveling in small groups.

And what they're trying to do is, versus going from destination to destination, they want to stay in one destination. Which is really good. So let's say, for example, Morocco, as a country, it is a beautiful, beautiful country. There's a lot of things to see and do, but also there's some people that they want to stay like the half cities, for example.

A half city is Fas, which means that you can stay in Fas. You can stay, for example, one week in Fas and do day trips. You can go to Fas. Tangier, you can go to Shefchaouen, you can go to Bolobulus, you can go to Titouan, you can do so many things in those day trips. So, but you always go back to your Riyadh and stay the night in Fes.

So, uh, a hub city, for example, is Marrakech. So you can do things and plan things around there as well. You can do a day trip to Asawara, a day trip to, you know, spend it with the Berber family. Um, many, many things that you can do. So, hub cities, they give you that option. And also, What they give you is the option instead of you staying at, you know, [00:27:00] your guests staying at a, uh, for example, at a hotel or staying at a Riyadh, you can stay in a private villa.

So it's just them and they have everything catered to them. So they have their own staff that care to them in the villa. So they take care of them, you know, breakfast will be breakfast in the morning. They wake up, they'll have their breakfast. They'll go, they'll, you know, do their tour and stuff like that.

Come back. If they want to have dinner at the house, they'll be at the house. If they want to. Do entertainment at the house and have entertainment at the house versus going to to a different location So and it just gives it that you know That really really intimate and personal feeling and experience because everything is done for you.

Everything is cared for you So if you have Let's say for example, 10 people, they want to stay in Marrakech for, you know, let's say for five days, four days, even, there's a lot of things that they can do in those four days without them really going, you know, from city to city to city without them getting tired, but at the same time, Enjoying every experience and immersing themselves in the [00:28:00] local experience and in that small group of travelers.

So yes, yeah, that's one that's one of the trends but you know when it comes to to villas and stuff You really really have to do it ahead of time, book it ahead of time So that's that's what we're seeing a lot of people, you know Just like in the past before they they were not no yards uh Because they were all privately owned and they were just houses of residence for for the locals You Then when people start using them as guests staying, it's different compared to the hotels, you know, in the past, it was just the hotels, you cannot say anywhere else.

But then the Riyadh came in, everybody wanted to experience that local house that, you know, 19th century house that, you know, multiple, you know, floors or levels and water fountain in the middle and so forth. Now it's the villas. So that's, that's what it's really trending. Small group of people, they go, it saves them money, a lot of money, but most importantly, it saves them time because they get to do a lot of things.

Uh, you know, there's no, you don't worry about checking and check out the time to say, Hey, you know, you know, we stay late and you know, [00:29:00] you're going to go into the hotel or to the reality. No, it's, it's, you go in, you do everything on your own pace. So no one is rushing you. You can take your time and doing things.

So, uh, for the, for example, let's say. You would normally have, if you want to do a Hanna experience, you'll go to, to, to the house or, you know, to the place and have your Hanna. And when you stay in the villa, you can bring those artists to, to the villa and have the guests, you know, just enjoying themselves, you know, just chit chatting, talking, music and all kinds of stuff.

And at the same time having the Hanna done for them. So there's, there's, there's many things you can do. You can travel to Morocco with any type of budget, but you know, that's, that's what we recommend. Interesting. 

Ted Cragg: Yeah, that's good to know. That's, that's kind of, as you say, a change in evolution from the Riyadh experience.

Yes. Which of course is wonderful too, but this kind of takes it up a different level. 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yeah, 

Ted Cragg: absolutely. 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Absolutely 

Ted Cragg: that. Yeah, I see. All right, well, travel agents who are listening, what's the best way for them to reach out [00:30:00] to you, initiate, take the next step, and learn what they need to learn? 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: To, it's, they can email us, we have a specific email for the travel agents, which is agents with s at destinations morocco dot com, that's destinations within s morocco dot com, and that's the email, or they can just go to, to, to our website and set up a one on one.

Because if you're not familiar with the destination, that's the first step that I would recommend. And you can have as many one on one virtual, you know, meetings or discovery calls as you like. There's no cost. We just share information, answer all the questions you have, and help you build your basic knowledge about Morocco.

The good thing about Morocco, it really does not take a lot to learn about the destination. So it's, it's, yeah, the name of the cities are kind of sometimes weird, and it's kind of difficult to pronounce, but once you pass it, you're good. You're good. Yeah, 

Ted Cragg: yeah, and [00:31:00] I'll, uh, I'll put in a pitch for the podcast, of course, and we're coming up to Uh, not too long from now on three years of doing this show and, uh, oh, at a close to a hundred episodes, uh, lots of great information there.

I like the mix that we have some cases, like an overview of, you know, places and activities. And then sometimes we get into more of a deeper dive and, uh, really devote one episode to like. one place. And the idea being like, if you had more time, more than just a couple hours in a place like, uh, Vali Birthas maybe or Chefchaouen is a good example.

You know, if you really had a day or a couple of days, then what would you do? So there's a nice mix of information there too, through the podcast, which I always recommend people check out. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Great. Well, I hope this is a good foundation for our agents and everyone listening to take the next step and get yourselves to Morocco.

I can vouch from experience. It's a beautiful place, wonderful [00:32:00] people, incredible food, amazing landscape, and well worth the effort to get there. It's amazing. 

Azdean Elmoustaquim: Thank you so much, Ted. Always a pleasure, and I really, really appreciate all your help and everything. So, uh, this has been an amazing episode. It's a lot of fun.

And, uh, this is really, really geared towards, uh, travel agents because, um, you know, when we did the webinars, um, we do get a lot of the questions, even the ones that we could not answer, um, on, on the live webinars. I, I still have them. So we want to answer as, as many as we can. We want to help you. We want to work with you, uh, so, and we're here for you.

So anything you need, just, uh, Let us know and we'll be there for you. And thank you so much for, for listening. Thank you to the listeners as well. We're very grateful for you. 

Ted Cragg: Thank you. Cheers. We'll see you next time.