Event highlighted the variety tourists will find in destination
The Moroccan National Tourist Office is inviting people to see some of the landscapes that a post-prime ministerial Winston Churchill viewed as picture-perfect.
The tourist office held a Monday event during which Siham Fettouhi, executive director of the tourist office’s New York Office – told her audience that her homeland is “inspiring,” citing a number of prominent figures who spent time there, including fashion mogul Yves St. Laurent; musician Jimi Hendrix, who wrote his classic song Castles Made of Sand in the coastal city of Essaouira; French artist Matisse; and Churchill, who in his later years would frequently venture to Marrakech, indulging his enjoyment of art by painting regional landscapes.
The entertainment industry also has discovered Morocco, with the likes of Game of Thrones and movie Gladiator being filmed there.
“It’s a country that inspires… Morocco has always been a bridge between the North and the South, the East and the West,” Fettouhi said in a venue decked out with Moroccan carpets and lanterns for the event.
The evening also saw Moroccan mint tea and Moroccan food served.
Morocco’s exotic side is underscored by Marrakech, home to Jmaa El Fnaa Square, where the likes of jugglers, snake charmers and other entertainers perform nightly.
Marrakech’s tourist trade got a recent boost when Air Transat began Montreal-Marrakech service. Air Canada serves Casablanca.
Fettouhi added that the ancient city of Fes is another highlight, labeling it the “most authentic” city in the country. Fes has a particularly large medina or old quarter that has received recognition from UNESCO, she reported. Rabat also has ancient architecture tourists will enjoy, she noted.
Fettouhi noted Morocco’s long coast hosts beach enthusiasts. Among coastal destinations is the resort destination of Agadir.
Among intriguing Moroccan lodging options are riads, formerly homes of wealthy merchants that showcase the Morocco of yesteryear.
Sally Mikhail of GMtours – who attended the event and whose company sends people to Morocco – praised the country as a very diverse destination that is also intriguingly exotic.
Toronto Travel Agent Next Door agent Coralie Belman in turn singled out the interior city of Chefchaouen for particular praise, saying a city known for its blue structures is fascinating.
“I love that blue city,” she said. “I always insist clients need to see it and no one has ever been disappointed. “
Also scoring particularly high marks from Belman was Fes, with Belman stating, “I love the medina in that city.”
Moroccan event included a pourboy
Guests saw the fine art of Moroccan tea pouring
Moroccan tea master Souhail Baidaoui’s Toronto performance was good till the last drop.
Baidaoui, in Toronto Monday for a Moroccan National Tourist Office event, gave repeated demonstrations of the delicate Moroccan art of pouring mint tea, with mint tea hugely popular in the North African country.
Tea pouring demonstrations are often provided for tourists visiting Morocco, with Baidaoui and others who have mastered the skill quickly and effortlessly filling smallish glasses from a teapot often held well above the glasses without spilling any.
Baidaoui, using a distinctive Moroccan teapot to fill glasses placed on a Moroccan table while in Toronto, also showcases his talent for tourists in a hotel in his hometown of Rabat.
Rabat is overshadowed by such cities as Fes and Marrakech when it comes to attracting tourists, but Baidaoui said his city is an interesting part of the world that has a medina or old quarter that visitors enjoy.
The city is also promoted as a festive part of the world where environmental issues are important.
Being able to pour mint tea with a flourish is a common practice in Morocco, Baidaoui said.
“When you grow up in Morocco it’s in your DNA, ” the multilingual Baidaoui said in unaccented English.
Any Doubting Thomases who were skeptical that none of the mint tea Baidaoui poured in Toronto failed to end up in a glass were invited by Baidaoui to touch the table the glasses he filled rested on.
“It’s dry,” he noted of the table at one point during the evening. “I didn’t spill a drop. That’s why I’m a tea master.”
