This episode also has a video version on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "Travel to Morocco in 2025: Travel Highlights to Help Your Planning"
Or stay here for the audio version - your choice!
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Morocco had a banner year in 2024, with tourist numbers reaching over 17 million, a number predicted for 2026 and yet reached two years ahead of time.
With new air routes getting underway, both international and domestic, and new hotels and luxury brands setting up in the country, Morocco is very much on the up and up. For the first time, it outdrew Egypt as the top destination for travellers in Africa. Tourist numbers are predicted to reach 26 million per year by 2030, the year Morocco co-hosts the World Cup, alongside Spain and Portugal.
All of which means, now is the time to go! Azdean and Destination Morocco podcast producer Ted Cragg discuss, in today's episode, what in particular to prepare for in 2025, particularly events and prices that could affect your travels.
They highlight some of the numerous large festivals that take place throughout the year, including the Gnawa Music Festival in Essaouira in June, and the Marrakech International Film Festival in December. These are annual events that always draw large crowds, but equally are exciting and prestigious events to witness.
Adding to the excitement though in 2025, and in a preview of what's to come 5 years from now, are some major international football/soccer tournaments that will take place in Morocco.
The U-17 Africa Cup of Nations will be held from March 30 to April 19, followed by the Women's Africa Cup of Nations from July 5 to 26.
Then, FIFA's U-17 Women's World Cup will take place from October 17 to November 8, expanded to 24 teams for the first time.
And in the largest of them all, Morocco will host for the second time ever the Africa Cup of Nations, starting towards the end of the year, December 21, 2025 and running to January 18, 2026. This major tournament will be spread amongst six cities across the country: Tangier, Agadir, Rabat, Marrakech, Fez, and Casablanca.
Therefore, if you are planning a visit during one of these festivals or tournaments, make sure you do your research! Prices will likely be inflated, and accommodation will be less available and flexible as the dates draw near.
Alternatively, knowing when these events are taking place may help you decide exactly when to go, if you would rather avoid the crowds and the hype and go at a quieter pace.
Either way, we have lots to look forward to in Morocco in 2025, an exciting year in and of itself, but also a prelude of what to expect for the rest of the decade.
Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?
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If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.
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AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Welcome back to Destination Morocco. I am Azdean Elmoustaquim, your host. And I'm so thrilled to welcome back our producer, the one and only, Ted Cragg. Welcome back to the podcast, Ted.
TED CRAGG: thanks very much. Nice to be here. Happy New Year.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Happy New Year. Um, you know, you know, just thinking about it, it's been actually three years. Time really flies by. Uh, we started our first episode that I believe we did it in February 1st.
So this is just, it's really, really incredible and amazing at the same time. We've had, you know, I think around maybe 100 episodes. We crossed 100, 000 downloads, which is incredible. Thank you to the listeners. So this episode, you know, it's, it's the new year. It's now within January. Um, and, um, And we want to let the listeners know what's, what's happening in 2025.
and we'll talk about also, uh, the accomplishments that Morocco as a country in tourism have, achieved. major major milestones. So I want to, I want to open this to you to see, uh, you know, if you have any questions for me. Um, and also both of us are wearing Jalabas. Uh, the one that you're wearing, it looks really, really nice.
I remember, I think you got it from Chefchaouen back when you were in Morocco.
TED CRAGG: That's right. Yeah,
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Then the one that I'm wearing, it's also Jalaba, but it's a little different. So the one that you have is, it's kind of, uh, Heavy lifting. So
TED CRAGG: quite heavy. Yeah, it's I mean, it's pretty cold here We're in the middle of winter and here in Quebec in Canada. So I needed something warm and I think it's made from wool. Does that make
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes, yes, and and you know the funny thing because regular people they may not know the difference, but for a lot of people they will tell you that it's, uh, from the north side of Morocco because of the way that it's made, because of the decoration, and also the wool in the northern side of Morocco is different than, than the southern part or the Berber jileba, uh, in Morocco.
So the one that you have, it's, it's really, really special. It's very special, yes. And what I love about the Jalaba is you feel the warmth, you know, on your upper body and also on your feet, uh, which is, uh, which is amazing. So that's the difference between wearing just regular pants or jeans versus Jalaba.
So you're really covered and, and then,
TED CRAGG: I haven't even, I'll, I'll put the hood up here briefly 'cause it's quite a, quite a substantial hood.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes. Yes. And especially if you're like me, then you're really, really need to put the hood when you're outside on the streets.
TED CRAGG: But tell us about yours. 'cause you said yours is a little different.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: It's a little different. The fabric is different, but also it's a little bit lighter than the one that you have, Ted. But this one is mostly for the fall, you know, changing season around, you know, October, November and so forth.
Uh, then I would say around, you know, March, April. So you can wear the one that I'm wearing now because it's kind of light, but at the same time, um, it keeps you warm. So, but the one that you have, it's, you can go to sleep in it. Still feel good.
TED CRAGG: yeah. Oh, I can imagine. Yeah. It is quite, quite substantial.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: absolutely. Absolutely. So this is just a little bit of a brief, um, you know, both of us were in Jalaba, which is a very fitting.
So awesome.
TED CRAGG: Yeah, it's a nice reminder of, uh, of our trip there, which is, even that's coming up on a couple of years. It was two years ago, February, February 23, that we were there. So, lots of fond memories, uh, which is interesting. Now, this episode is not completely about, kind of, winter travel. We did a previous episode, um, not too long ago, talking about travel to Morocco in the winter months, January through March kind of thing.
So check that out. Everyone listening, if you haven't already, if you're considering going, well, either this winter, or if you're listening to this later, you know, maybe next winter and so on, but it's a great time to travel. Cause that's when we were there, the crowds weren't nearly as big, it wasn't as hot, but the weather's still comfortable, you know, you're of course, these wonderful, comfortable rias and, uh, you know, You know, cozy restaurants and things like that and great food.
So it's a nice time to travel for sure. If you, if you get there February, March, that'll tap in then a little bit to today, because as we're heading into beginning of 2025 and just in general, helping the listeners, the viewers here, uh, get a sense for what to expect. in Morocco this year as far as travel events, particularly, but maybe if there's any other changes perhaps to visas or, um, entry requirements or transport or anything else like that, if there's any, changes or anything different this year, to give people a sense of what to plan for, because there was, you'll find out as we'll find out in a few minutes, there's some big events coming up and that may affect your travel plans for sure.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, a hundred percent.
TED CRAGG: but why don't we start a little bit, We had a bit of our outline here. Some of just some highlights and reviews of the past 12 months, 2024, when some big changes in progress was made in terms of travel to Morocco. So do you want to talk a bit about that?
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, definitely. I'm look, take a look at my, my notes. So, um, like you said, Ted, one of the biggest, um, Most surprising and in the most positive way is that Morocco is, uh, has ranked number one destination for the first time. Africa. It's always been Egypt, So, you know, you can just, you know, imagine the joy and the happiness about, you know, the us Moroccans, then, you know, the tourism board, they have done an amazing job, you know, just promoting Morocco. Uh, Ryanair, It's really big in, in, in, in Morocco and Europe, especially for the cheaper flights, you know, And they have some good discounts between Europe and, and Morocco and stuff like that. So they have added, um, 11 new. Unprecedented domestic routes, you know, especially, for example, from Fes to Rashidia, so inside Morocco, Fes to Dakhla, so you can travel just locally instead of driving.
You can just take a short flight with, Ryanair and, uh, you know, which is really, really nice. And also, uh, one of the biggest ones, we understand there's a line between, you know, you can fly to Morocco directly from Miami. You can do the same thing from, DC from New York, from Montreal.
Now they have added a new line, which is, by United Airlines directly from New York to Marrakech. Now, all the, all the other airlines, they go to Casablanca, but this one goes to, to Marrakech, which is just really, really, really incredible. And, um, also when we talk about the outreach of Morocco, I know that the tourism board is working really hard with, you know, especially in New York.
If you see a lot of, advertisement and stuff like that. Then also Morocco is venturing out to, to Asia and they have been exhibiting in, in the, uh, ITB in China. So there's, there's now they're reaching the, the Asian market, So, and also in 2024, uh, Bugatti has chosen Morocco, uh, for its exclusive grand tour, which is, again, it's, it's really, really, really major. event. And then when we talk about hotels, when we talk about luxury, and remember, um, you know, Ted, a few months ago, we did the, live Q& A, and we talked about luxury accommodations in Morocco.
And a lot of people, they really loved it. The feedback was excellent. And also a lot of people were surprised that we have, you know, those accommodations in Morocco. So now you have brands like the Royal Mansour. Now they have just opened a new location in Rabat. So now you have Royal Mansour in Marrakech, you have Royal Mansour in Casablanca, which we talked about last time.
Now they have a new one in Rabat, which is the capital city of Morocco. The same thing, there's an expansion of four season hotels and also Hyatt Park. They have expanded also in Morocco. Morocco. So, um, you know, in terms of the hospitality, there's, hotels are always being built, you know, brands are, moving to Morocco, doing business in Morocco and so forth.
And also we talked about the international brands, over 200 international brands, uh, in terms of hotels and accommodations that are in Morocco, which is just, it's really, really incredible. So they can accommodate, travelers from, luxury to basic and anything in between, Then the biggest one, which is kind of a, you know, uh, surprise again, um, you know, we had 17. 4 million, travelers in 2024. this goal was actually supposed to be, that was the goal for 2026, but, they hit it two years earlier, which is just incredible. the revenue, you know, from the tourism sector was, it exceeded 10 billion U.S. dollars. So there's, there's really a lot of things that are happening in Morocco . And also when we look at, for example, women in Morocco and we look at the co ops, which, there's about 61, 000 of them and 7, 800 of them are led by women.
So you can just, you know, see the, the women's leadership in Morocco again, which is kind of a surprise, especially when I remember. When we did the episode with Max, I was like, I could not believe that women are everywhere, they're in charge, they're taking, you know, care of business, they're, you know, that's, especially you see it in the mountains, you know, the men they do their own thing, but also the women, they're really the backbone, um, you know, of the family, the economy and so forth.
TED CRAGG: Yeah. It's great to see that.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yeah, a lot of things, And again, this is just, you know, just a little bit, of overview of, of 2024, which is just, it's beyond incredible. So it makes me personally really, really proud.
TED CRAGG: Do you know then if they have revised the, um, estimates for this year or maybe next year in terms of the number of visitors they expect?
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, that's a really good question, Ted. You know, what I know for a fact that 2025. If things just stay as they are, it will be the busiest, the biggest year to date in Morocco's history. So if we're talking without any major events, you know, whether soccer events or international events or just regular events, and, and festivals, um, they should definitely proceed 20 million for sure.
Um, it's going to be the biggest. So to date, 2024 is the biggest to date, but 2025, with everything that it's, that it's going to be happening and planned, it's definitely going to be the year, to visit definitely Morocco and it's going to be a lot of people.
TED CRAGG: It just goes to show then why they need the infrastructure, the hotels, right? The accommodation, the transport and, uh, and on from there to, that's a lot of extra people.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes, it's going to be a lot of people. Yes. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Yeah.
TED CRAGG: And I was encouraged to see, uh, we had a note Morocco is among the safest destinations
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: It is also, yes, it was crowned one of the safest destinations to travel to for 2025. You know, um, Morocco is not as popular, I hate to say it, but in, in the US or Canada as not as much as, as Europe. So it takes us a little bit. More of effort and more of education to let people know and get them excited. Hey, you know, Morocco, but you know, if you say Morocco anywhere else, I mean, people, they have visited it twice, three times, four times, five times.
But in the US, it's kind of a little bit because of the distance, because of lack of knowledge, it really doesn't get the credit that it truly deserves. So yes, of course. Yeah, it's, it's been a pleasure. It's been, it's been a nice year.
TED CRAGG: Now, I think we should touch on one thing, um, which is, well, we're recording this. It's, again, January 2025. It's been, what, uh, about 16 months since the earthquake.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes.
TED CRAGG: And from my sense, now you can tell me, fill in some more details, but, I mean, there was coverage, of course, when it happened, and that was September of 2023, so again, well over a year ago, but, um, you know, these things kind of fade away in the media and you don't hear much more about it.
Can you give us an update on just earthquake recovery? What I do know is that, at least Marrakech and kind of the main touristy areas, Things recovered pretty fast. Like within a couple of weeks, you know, things are back to normal, but can you give us an update just because if people are still wondering, kind of lingering in the back of their mind, well, what's it like, you know, is there enough recovery?
Is there still a threat? I mean, you never know when an earthquake is going to hit, of course, but generally speaking, things pretty much back to normal.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, absolutely. Um, I, I believe, uh, there's only one, which is Madrasat Bin Youssef, uh, I could be wrong. He's the one that was closed for a couple of months, um, and re, re opened. When you look at Marrakech, you look at, you know, the earthquake did not hit Marrakech. The earthquake hit the outskirts of Marrakech in the mountains.
Now, when you look at the buildings and the houses and so forth in the mountains, they're just built by, you know, with clay. There's no iron in the structure, it's just, you know, they're just very fragile, if you would. So when the earthquake hit the mountain, definitely it caused a lot of devastation.
But then in Marrakech, with the force of the earthquake, the medina, which is the downtown, which is, you know, you're talking, you know, it's, it's, it's a big super, super old neighborhood. It definitely got affected, but then, everybody got into it and everybody, you know, did what they're supposed to.
And, and, you know, some places they're, they're, they're gone. But, uh, the majority of it, it's just, it's back to normal. and also I remember that September that month we were actually super busy.
and we didn't have any cancellations, Absolutely, there were a lot of concerns, but when people went, we had to switch hotel, riads, I believe, I know that for a fact, for some of the guests, because where they were supposed to stay sustained some damage, you know, cracks in the walls and stuff, so we had to move them somewhere else, but it did not really affect us.
Uh, the routes that we take in the, in the tours, if you look at you know, Marrakech to Casablanca, to, you know, Rabat and so forth, or going south. I mean, you can see it in, in the Atlas Mountains in, towards Aït Ben Haddou, before Aït Ben Haddou and after Aït Ben Haddou, obviously, but, everybody, I would say, recovered quickly in terms of the tourist sector.
but the effect of it, the way they were showing it here in the media, they showed it, it's a lot worse than it actually was. And that's what really scared a lot of people. In October, that same year, there was a convention that it's supposed to be happening in Marrakech, which is one of the, the biggest in the world.
And it went perfectly fine with, no, not hedge. Yes, I forgot the name of it. But everything was good. So luckily,
TED CRAGG: you know then at this point, if there's any opportunity for anyone who's interested, to still volunteer to help with any recovery, perhaps get out into the mountains, you know, if that's the type of tour, that's the kind of experience that you want, or at least as part of your time in Morocco, is there still chances to do
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, absolutely. And I remember we did an episode with Nancy. Um, you know, she's also from Canada and, you know, she went to Morocco and she fell in love with the country and after the earthquake, she, she moved to, to Morocco. And then when we went, when I went last year, at this time, I met with her. We had, you know, we had a really, really nice dinner.
Uh, we went to the same place, uh, Saffron, uh, by Koya, which is amazing. I absolutely recommend it. The atmosphere is just incredible. So, and that's what she was doing. So if somebody wants to volunteer, there's, there's a lot of opportunities to do so. for sure.
TED CRAGG: Good. Okay. Well, that's good to know. And I mean, that's the type of thing that very much comes down to the individual, and their time and their skills and what they're interested in doing. So the best way is really just reach out to Azdean and he'll put you in contact with other aid organizations.
People could need your help. Or again, incorporate it as part of your tour for sure as part of an
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes. Oh, absolutely. And if you look at the way that we do the tours, we do, we do work with a lot of, single, parents. Uh, we work with a lot of women's co op because those, that's what, that's what your investment really, money invested goes to. And it goes back to the community. It goes back to Morocco. Um, it helps those communities. You know, in terms of help, just to give you a little bit of perspective, it doesn't have to be in the thousands of dollars.
You know, 50 is good. 100 is good. You spend 100, you know, you're helping a family. So there's always a way, for travelers to help. And I do agree with you, Ted, it can be done either directly with the co ops or it can be done through us with the tour.
TED CRAGG: Great. That's good to know.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Thank you.
TED CRAGG: All right, well, let's take a look at, quickly, we'll skim through some of the events for this year. Maybe we'll start with festivals. Now, most of these are annual, as far as I know, but they can be big festivals. So, again, if you're thinking about, um, The practicalities of travel, booking accommodation, crowds, prices, something to keep in mind when some of these big festivals are taking place.
So then the first one on our list of these coming up here is late February. It's the Almond Blossom Festival.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes, you know, in, in Morocco, there are festivals, throughout the year. in February, there are dozens. In March, there are dozens. The same thing, and some are more popular than others with the locals. Some, you know. They get a lot of international, coverage and, and, and media and, and attention.
So the one in, in February, it's in, in Tafrout, which is, uh, in southern part of Morocco on, on the west coast side of it, uh, which is really, really nice. So, if you're going to be traveling on that area, I highly recommend, having that, on your itinerary or visitors, you know, if you can.
So it's, uh, it's, it's pretty nice.
TED CRAGG: It says here, it's like it's snowing with pink and white blossoms from the trees. I guess that sounds cool.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yeah. It's, it's really, really cool.
TED CRAGG: Yeah. Neat. Okay, now I've heard a fair bit about this one. We should talk about it some more, maybe even do another episode. The International Nomads Festival. What's that about?
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: The International Nomad Festival, it's before there was no, no borders. Uh, you know, in, uh, if we, if you remember, we did this episode, I believe it was, uh, when we talked about the Khemliya, when we talked about, you know, the nomads moving, you know, from Morocco, southern part of Morocco, Mali, Segal, and so forth.
So when they did the borders, everybody stayed, whatever they, they, they got stuck in a way. So, and this one, it's celebrated in Mali and also in Morocco. So Hamid, we don't do it, we don't visit this area, but because most of what we do is in the Merzouga side of, things. So, this one, it's, it's, a lot of artists that come from, you know, France, Spain, Brazil, and, It's kind of inside, in the middle of the desert, which is pretty cool.
Yeah. It's in the dunes in the camps and it's a lot of festivities, a lot of music, and people really, really enjoy it. So
TED CRAGG: Yeah, it says it's been around since 2003.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: yeah, it's like camping in the middle of the desert, which is pretty awesome. So. Yes,
TED CRAGG: then let's jump to June, cause maybe that's the biggest festival Morocco is known for. It's the Gunawa World Music
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: the Gnawa, this is definitely the biggest. so, when we talk about Gnawa music, again, Essaouira, The Gnawa music is different than the Gnawa music we have seen in, in, in the Khameliyah village.
Uh, there's a lot of history behind it. Then when we, uh, Essaouira as a city, it's like a hip city. It's like, uh, you know, if a lot of people, they say keep, you know, like Austin, "Keep Austin weird." It's the same thing. So, um, Essaouira has its own vibe. It has its own culture. really, if you look at it in a way, it's a misfit inside Morocco, if you would, in many different ways.
But then when we look at the Gawa music, what does, Gawa music mean or signifies? It's a spiritual music. It's it's a lot of music that it's connected to the spirit world. It's kind of when you get into it. It's some people in they might get scared. But when you see people dancing, they just look like they are possessed.
So there's there's a lot of that in a way,
TED CRAGG: Yeah, it's very distinct music. We've often featured it in our episodes here, either just background or there's been some times on your live tours. Remember when you were in the desert and we heard some of that?
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, absolutely.
TED CRAGG: very distinct with the instruments they use, those kind of basic string instruments, right?
Kind of three strings.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: it's, yeah, it's called the Gimbri. And then the Gimbri, there's different, you know, different types. Then, not everybody can do that music. But it's just, it's, it's very intricate. It's, uh, and its roots go back.
It's, it did not originate from Morocco, but it goes back again to, days of the trade and the nomads, you know, from Senegal, from Mali, from that part of, of Africa. So, um, and again, when we talk about Gnawa music, we talk about when the slaves would have been, you know, taken to, to, to England, taken to America, some came.
through the Sahara Road, through, the caravans. And that's where we have the Khameliyah music, the Gnawa music in Khameliyah. And then the other ones that came with the ships, the Essaouira port at that time was the biggest port. they would, transport them to a Essaouiraand make the, the move from a Essaouira either to the U.
S. or, or England. and it's a different music as well. So there's a lot of history behind it, but also in terms of the international festival, some of those, they get invited by the king. That's how big it is. Some artists, they get the invitation from the king, um, and it's invitation only.
So, and it's, if you get a chance to, to be part of it, it's amazing. if you get a chance to witness it, it's, it's beyond incredible.
TED CRAGG: Yeah, well it says here this year the Gnawa festival is June 19th to 21st in Essaouira. So keep that in mind. If it's something people want to see, of course you should go, but yeah, it'll take a bit extra planning for sure because it's a busy, uh, busy place. They said last year, 2024, 400,000 people attended.
So
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yeah. Yeah. So it's, it's pretty big. Then the other thing is, even when you go to a sawra, you know, to, to, to witness, you can do an experience of Gnawa music. You don't have to wait until the festival, you know, for example, let's say you go and Ted with, you know, with, with, with the family, then you can just have, you know, know, a couple hours booked it as an experience, you go, to their place and they just perform, the music or they can teach you music or how to play music.
So there's many things that you can do. So, which is really, really incredible, but that's definitely one of the biggest festivals. Um, yeah. So,
TED CRAGG: Um, so here's another one that's also music. It's the Festival of World Sacred Music.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, oh yeah, this one.
Um, if you've been to Morocco, and I know you have, um, and, and here's the good thing. You've been to Fes, so you know Fes is different in terms of culture and, you know, the food and things. Then you have been to Essaouira with your guide, or Zaid, I believe it was Zaid.
And, and again, it has a different vibe and everything. So the, the, music in Fes, again, is completely different. It's more love. more kind of relaxing. it's soulful. It's very spiritual, but it's just, uh, it's, it's kind of, uh, if you would, um, you know, the classic music of Morocco.
And most of it is played by the instrument. It's an Oud instrument. Um, it just goes to show how diverse the music in Morocco, it's, it's beyond incredible. So the music in Morocco is pretty big. And this is one of the biggest festivals as well. last time when, when we were in, uh, Chefchaouen, and we were just, walking around at night in, in, in downtown, and we stumbled upon one of the many festivals, and it was just beyond incredible.
We went inside, and it was just amazing, amazing experience. So, yeah.
TED CRAGG: hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah, so there's that one, and then there's the International Cultural Festival in Asila.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: in Asila. Asila, it's a small city built by the Portuguese a And it's very quiet, very laid back, and you can distinguish Issaouira by its color. If you see Chefchaouen, it's the blue city. Asila, it's a little bit of greenish, if you would. So it's a very laid back, small city, but it's really, really, really beautiful.
TED CRAGG: So, yeah, International Cultural Festival. There's, performances, lectures, exhibitions, workshops, international artists, musicians, intellectuals, and it's an entire month, so it's really kind of spread out.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes, and Asila, with the tours, some included in their itinerary, some don't. Uh, we've been there. it was a small city. It was a fun city, uh, really, really safe, very, very laid back city. That's what I remember from it.
Uh, it's definitely worth a visit. Probably half a day is good.
TED CRAGG: Oh, yeah.
not too far from
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Tanjir. No, because a lot of people when they are doing Tanjir, they make the stop in Asila, which is, which makes sense.
TED CRAGG: Yeah, so this here it says July 5th to 27th, 2025. So as I say, it's, you know, quite a wide range if you're in that area. A good reason to go, another reason, good reason to go to Asila. Um, and you might know, I'm guessing a fair bit about this one, the Marrakech Popular Arts Festival.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes. this is a big one. So it's 10 days in Marrakesh. it's, a lot of, people, and they do it in, in the g Elna square, so it's, it's very popular. it's definitely worth it. So even when you look at the summertime, when we say it's slow, in Morocco, there's no more busy season or slow season.
It's, it's always really busy. So, um, I remember last when we went in, in the summertime, in, in July. Tangier was completely booked throughout the summer So you can see that pattern right here as well.
and that's what we're going to see for 2025, um, you know, book ahead of time
TED CRAGG: hmm.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: for sure. there are a few other, you know, small Festivals, but then one of the biggest ones, is the one that we have in December, which is, uh, Marrakech, the film festival in Marrakech, which is an international event, especially for the U.
S., actors, producers, movies, uh, it's really, really, really a big one. and again, December, um, you know, we, we talked about December all the time, especially the last two weeks of December. If you're trying to go to Morocco, this is the time really to plan it. January, February, March is the time to plan it ahead of time when there's availability, when you have choices, uh, especially in accommodations and things like that.
yeah.
TED CRAGG: Okay. Yeah. now, so those are, well, let's say mostly cultural festivals, right? Music, arts, and so on. the other big thing happening in 2025, there's a football tournament, AKA soccer, and that's going to bring a lot of attention to Morocco. And we're not talking about your world cup, 2030. We're talking about 2025.
There's at least a couple here. There's the African cup of nations, the under 17 African cup of nations.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes. That is, that's, that's women. Um, you know, just to, you know, when we talk about these are the busiest years that are projected to be for Morocco, especially, you know, uh, 2025, these are the, we talk about what Morocco is hosting, and then you have 2029. Uh, It's going to be a busy one because they're, they're hosting, another major soccer event.
And then we have the, obviously the World Cup, which is the equivalent to, you know, it's actually bigger than Super Bowl. A lot of people may not know,
TED CRAGG: Oh yeah, it's
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: um, you know, you can just imagine what, what it does, to the country in terms of economy and revenue. So 2025 is definitely going to be, a huge, huge year for Morocco, especially in terms of, like you said, football or soccer. So it's, it's pretty big. Yeah.
TED CRAGG: Yeah. So there's the, the FIFA U 17 women's world cup. It's October 17th, November 8th.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes.
TED CRAGG: 2025. And then this is really the tail end of the year. It'll go into 2026, but there's the African Cup of Nations. That's a big tournament. That's kind of like the Euro
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes,
TED CRAGG: type version of Africa, right? Yeah.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: And you know, Africans, they go crazy for soccer. If, if you're African, listen to the podcast. You know what I'm saying? It just, it's wild. it's amazing. Amazing.
TED CRAGG: Yeah. So, I mean, again, these are things people, if you want to go to these festivals or tournaments, I mean, you should probably be planning right now for that
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: oh yeah, for
TED CRAGG: if you haven't started already. And I mean, this is likely to be extra challenge for accommodation and just, navigating the crowds and so on.
can you tell us a bit about, do you know if any, maybe price is changing or different kinds of expenses maybe that might be coming up in 2025? Sure.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: That's a really good question, Ted. Normally. when we work with hotels, with the riads, they normally give us the new rates for the next year around, you know, some do it earlier than others around, I would say average around October. And normally those rates, every year, They are adjusted between 8 percent to 12 percent for some, for others, a little bit more depending on, you know, the supply and demand.
So looking into this, it's, it's definitely looking at an increase of a price, at least 20, 20, at least 20 percent and up.
TED CRAGG: During these events?
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yeah, during these events. And, you know, we're not really too far. Those prices will just skyrocket so quick. it's unfortunate, you know, just, supply and demand again.
So,
TED CRAGG: okay, and then, do you know of any visa changes or entry requirement changes, anything like that, that's come
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: for Americans and Canadians. I know that Europe is making some changes, but for Morocco, no. Um, you can travel to Morocco still with no visa requirement, and you can stay up to 90 days, uh, in Morocco without a visa. So that has not changed yet. So yeah.
TED CRAGG: That's good to know. Yeah, I mean, honestly, the main difference, and it started last year, but it's that flight from New York to Marrakech, I think will, it's already starting to change a lot of the traffic patterns, you know? People can go straight there, therefore maybe they bring themselves to New York instead of flying from another place to Casablanca.
I mean, it gives you more options, but, yeah, I think that'll really start to have an impact.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, wait, definitely.
TED CRAGG: is a big airport.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: It is, it is, it's really, Marrakech, it's a beautiful airport, they redid it, it's very nice. Now there's been talk they're going to move it from where it is right now, because, uh, you know, 20, 34 years ago, it was outside the city. Now everything is just expanding. but they're probably going to move it within a decade or so.
It's nothing that's going to happen next couple of years, but probably 10, 15 years from now, they'll definitely have plans to relocate that airport
TED CRAGG: Oh wow.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: for sure. Yeah. And Marrakech. Yeah. It's the city is just expanding so fast.
TED CRAGG: I remember that when we were there. There's construction everywhere and big neighborhood, new neighborhoods, apartment blocks and all that. Yeah, big wide avenues. You know, you get the old, I mean, it's common in Europe and other places, but you get the old part of the city, which probably hundreds and hundreds of years old.
As soon as you get outta that, the medina and the central area. You're basically into kind of modern, 21st century development and wide streets and, and all the restaurants and the shops, cafes and things that go with that. So you, you really get that mix of the modern and basically the ancient, the, uh, the historic in Morocco.
Yeah.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: but also keep in mind, in the square they have in all the major cities, huge, huge screen TVs where people can watch the events, the soccer events on the streets. Then you have the cafes, the cafes, they just, super booked and hotels, anywhere there's a TV, it's going to be super packed.
TED CRAGG: Yeah.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: So, just plan ahead. most of the games are at nighttime, just plan ahead. You know, sometimes it's going to take you instead of 10 minutes, 15 minutes, it'll take you maybe an hour or so to, to get from point A to point B. and keep that in consideration. If you're traveling on your own, that's one of the things that you really, really have to consider.
If you're traveling with us, then we'll take care of everything for you. And we'll try to avoid, those, you know, busy spots, uh, during the, the time of, of the event. So.
TED CRAGG: Yeah. Well, there it is. So, I mean, everyone listening and watching your, your best, concierge, your best travel advisor and host is Destination Morocco. And if you want to go and have a nice structured tour, this plan to your taste, to do the things that you want to do and have someone on call 24 seven. I mean, I contested this cause that was our experience and you guys are there and we worked together to decide where we wanted to go and then.
you have WhatsApp and stuff, like, it's just a text message away if you have questions, if you need anything. And so it's real peace of mind, safe way to travel and see whatever you want to see and do whatever you want to do, really, in Morocco. It's not one of these kind of structured tours where you only go where you're told to go.
You can decide what you want to do, just take some planning and, you know, communication, working together. But you guys are great at figuring that stuff out.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Yes. Yeah, I know, especially when you travel with the kids and things can change, you know, you may not be tired, but the kids are tired and you have to make, you know, make them comfortable. So yeah, we do go through those changes, you know, nothing really set in stones when we build the itinerary. it's your itinerary.
We build it for you, not for us. And then, you know, you make changes because a lot of people, when they go for 10 days, they're excited when they're in the process of booking, building the itinerary. Yes, I want to do this and this, but they don't realize that Morocco is bigger than it actually is. They don't realize there's a lot of driving involved and you really, really get tired.
So 10 days, I always recommend take a day off in the middle somewhere because you're going to need
TED CRAGG: did. Yeah. We were there for ten days, and, uh, we took an extra day in Fez just to, just to relax, just to chill. We walked around a bit, and we hung out at the top floor. This is like a rooftop patio in our riad, and you're looking down over the medina and all the alleyways, which is really cool, but you're nice and quiet and safe also,
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Oh, I, I love that riad. We did the same thing. We, uh, when we visited, we had four days. because we were recording everything and, you know, day three, everybody was just, uh, we cannot do day four. We have to, because, you know, we're going to go to Ifran, Azrou, Midlet, Merzouga.
It was just, it was just, too much to, to, yeah. So, yeah, it's definitely worth that little break, you know.
TED CRAGG: Yep. So, the website is DestinationsMorocco. com Can we tell a quick story? Because I'm sure people have been wondering about this. Why is it not DestinationMorocco. com? It's DestinationsMorocco. Heh,
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Because, because, uh, when we started, that's a really, really good question. When we started, we did the destination morocco. co because the domain name, somebody has it and it costs $30, 000. And, you know, I, I just, I don't have $30, 000 to pay for a domain name. And I think,
TED CRAGG: URL, yeah.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: So, so that's why, I said, you know what, let me look and see if there's destinations Morocco.
And that's what we found that it's available and we bought it. and then, When people go to your website, they listen to the podcast, they'll, they'll, they'll figure out what we do. We specialize in Morocco. We don't do any other destinations.
Uh, we specialize in Morocco. We love the country. our niche is Morocco, nothing else. Just anything that has to do with Morocco in terms of travel, that's what we do.
TED CRAGG: That's a beautiful place.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Thank you. Indeed.
TED CRAGG: So we wish everyone the best 2025. We'd love to see you in Morocco. And of course, if you have any questions at all, then reach out to Azdean and his team and they'll follow up.
AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day. Thank you. Thank you.
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