An electronic platform will soon be opened in order to receive funding requests relating to the 2nd edition of the Forsa program, said Wednesday the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor.
Speaking before the Productive Sectors Commission at the House of Representatives, Fatim-Zahra Ammor stressed that after the positive results obtained by the first edition of the Forsa program, “the ministry will, next month, kick off the second edition of the said programme, which also aims to finance 10,000 projects”.
This second edition will increase the number of project leaders, including young people and women, who will be able to carry out their projects, integrate into the formal sector, create jobs and contribute to local development, he said. – she says.
The first edition of Forsa, a program implemented in accordance with the Royal Directives on the integration of young people into the labor market, achieved the objective of financing 10,000 projects at 100%, thanks to the efforts of the work teams as well as the innovative working methods adopted.
With regard to the indicators linked to the results of the first edition of this programme, the Minister affirmed that 50% of the projects financed enabled their promoters to move on to activities relating to the formal economy, noting that 65% of the beneficiaries are aged between 18 and 35, and that women represent 20% of applicants and beneficiaries of the Forsa programme.
Furthermore, the Minister shed light on the situation of the tourism sector, which with the start of the new year recorded a positive balance, affirming that “there is a strong determination to continue the work we are doing and obtain best results “.
Indeed, the tourism sector has returned to growth, in particular with a recovery of around 84% of tourists in 2022 compared to the year 2019, thus exceeding the global recovery rate estimated at 65%, a- she remarked, noting that the number of tourists who have visited the Kingdom has reached nearly 11 million.
With regard to tourist receipts in foreign currencies, they stood at 81.7 billion dirhams (MMDH) at the end of November, while domestic tourism also experienced a strong boost with a recovery rate exceeding 101%. compared to 2019, underlined the minister, noting, in this context, that the number of tourist nights increased to 7.9 million, or + 27% compared to 2021.
And to add that this achievement is due to the wise approach adopted by the Kingdom in the management of the health crisis, under the visionary leadership of King Mohammed VI.
Fatim-Zahra Ammor also underlined the importance of the support provided by the State within the framework of the emergency plan to support the tourism sector, in addition to the operation to promote and guarantee flights to Morocco. , and the full involvement of professionals and other partners.
In order to develop the tourism sector, the ministry is working on a new roadmap which aims to strengthen the recovery of the sector to reach 26 million tourists by 2023, registering in this context, the ministry’s optimism for the year. underway, especially since the Kingdom has experienced unprecedented influence thanks to the historic feat of the national team at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
During this meeting, held at the request of parliamentary groups and groups in the House of Representatives, presentations were made on the tourism product in Morocco, the results of the 2022 edition of the Forsa program as well as the main achievements of the Moroccan National Tourist Office for the year 2022 and its action plan 2023.