Casablanca: the advantage of the City Port

A highly ambitious development programme is currently under way in Casablanca’s port district. The challenge is to gradually transform this interface with the city, and its obsolete port functions, into a vibrant living space and a major international destination. But how? The question goes to the heart of Goal 8 of the AIVP 2030 Agenda, which is why were keen to talk to Mr Imad BARRAKAD, CEO of SMIT, the Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development La SMIT has been a member of AIVP since 2016. AIVP – In the spring of 2014, the King of Morocco unveiled the Wessal Casablanca-Port programme, aimed at radically transforming Casablanca’s port district. A year later, he launched three of the major components of that project: a new shipyard, the creation of a fishing port, and a new cruise terminal. AIVP – What at the main features of the project? M. Imad BARRAKAD, CEO of SMIT - The Casablanca Settat region is home to very diverse cultural and natural resources, enabling us to offer a variety of different tourist experiences. The region is aiming to develop a dual offering built around city-breaks based on business tourism, cultural tourism and leisure on the one hand, and nature tourism on the other. The city and surrounding region are now among the leading national tourist destinations, and the prospects for tourism growth are highly promising. Casablanca is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city where tradition and modernity exist side by side. In 1942, it was truly put on the map by the eponymous Hollywood film, giving the city’s name legendary status. Today, the historic centre of the city is rather like an open-air museum, with beautiful buildings and priceless architectural heritage, with superb examples of Art Deco and Avant Garde style dating from the 1920s through to the 1950s. The overarching objective for Casablanca is to share the experience of a cosmopolitan, avant-garde destination - with everyone from residents and international tourists to anyone with an appreciation of the Casablancan atmosphere: "Casablanca: the Business, Culture, and Leisure Promise". The port of Casablanca is the focal point of the city’s waterfront, and the main gateway for cruise passengers. However, its initial state was somewhat anarchic, which made it less appealing to tourists. The outlook for the cruise business in Casablanca was gloomy, and the port zone did not provide a sufficiently attractive shop window for visitors to a big city like Casablanca. It was vital to reconquer the port and restructure its interface with the port. Port of Casablanca @ Agence Nationale des Ports On the High Instructions of His Majesty the King, a project was put together to turn Casablanca into a tourist destination taking full advantage of its port. One of the essential aims was to gradually transform the port zone’s obsolete functions, open it up to the city, and introduce new development and spatial planning arrangements to suit the current requirements of the urban community, tourists, and the economy. The upshot is that a new City of leisure and culture is set to be developed in the zone, anchored around the port. The new City will allow us to roll out new…