Rabat – Morocco is set to take part in the 27th international Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM 2021), hosted in Tel Aviv, on June 15 and 16.

IMTM 2021 is the largest annual professional tourism exposition in the Eastern Mediterranean. The event is designed to connect professionals from all sectors of tourism and travel, with 1,870 exhibitors from 57 different countries.

The expo, which opened its virtual doors on March 1, will run until June 16, with the ‘in-person’ international tourism exhibition taking place June 15 to 16, 2021.

Among the list of participants, there will be professionals from Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Slovenia, the Philippines, Cyprus, and the Czech Republic, to name a few.

Moroccan participation in the exposition comes following warming ties between Israel and the North African country, with 2021 seeing a growing partnership in a variety of sectors between the two countries.

Israel and Morocco re-established diplomatic relations on December 10, and officialized them on December 22.

King Mohammed VI announced Morocco’s decision in a public statement, recalling the country’s attachment to its Jewish communities and heritage across the world.

Israel’s Charge d’Affaires in Morocco David Govrin arrived in Morocco on January 26 for the reopening of the Israeli diplomatic liaison office in Rabat. He is the first senior Israeli diplomat to serve in Morocco since the early 2000s.

Israel has already reopened its office in Rabat. Meanwhile, Morocco is still in the process of reopening its office in Tel Aviv.

A Moroccan diplomatic delegation led by the head of the liaison office in Tel Aviv, Abd Al Rahim Byoud, arrived in Israel on February 9 to make arrangements for the imminent reopening.

Following the resumption of diplomatic ties, Morocco and Israel signed, on January 21, the first agreement to open direct flights between the two countries.

“It will also allow 10 direct weekly cargo flights to operate to each party,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry noted.
The agreement is part of the provisions of the Joint Declaration Israel and Morocco signed on December 22 along with the US.

The Moroccan tourism sector, which lost out on $4.77 billion (MAD 42.4 billion) in 2020 due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions, is looking for an economic boost in a post-pandemic world.

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