2023-06-22 16:11:01
The assessment of the 1st edition of the call for projects (AAP) of the SMART tourism program, piloted by the SDR TPME tourism, resulted in the filing of 1,190 applications. 294 were able to fulfill the administrative conditions. 93 projects were selected without reservation.
“93 projects admitted and 37 other projects retained with reservations”. This is the assessment of the results communicated by the Local Selection Commission (CLS), under the SMART tourism program, piloted by the Regional Development Company (SDR) for the promotion of very small, small and medium-sized tourism businesses. in Souss Massa.
As a reminder, this program aims to support the creation of new tourism businesses and the transformation of existing businesses in the region. Following the first call for projects (AAP), launched on January 10, 2023, 1,190 applications were received.
According to the SDR, as of March 30, 2023, the closing date of the call, only 294 files were able to fulfill the administrative conditions set by the regulation. It should be noted that the firm Fidaroc Grant Thornton will lead the group of consultancy firms selected to support the SDR in the management of the support program for tourist VSMEs in the region. The evaluation process, which has already begun, consists of three stages.
Animation and leisure are a hit!
In detail, of the 93 projects admitted directly, 54 fall under the creation section and 39 under transformation. For their part, the 37 projects retained under reserve are divided between 10 accommodation projects, 16 focused on entertainment and leisure and 9 others, relating to catering. The rest concerns tourist transport and travel receptive.
According to the SDR, animation and leisure projects take the lion’s share, with a total of 43 projects, or 46% of the total number. Applications in this sector include a variety of activities such as outdoor sports (especially beach sports), paragliding, cultural activities, culinary activities, artistic workshops, agritourism, cycling activities, hiking, canyoning, climbing…. As for the projects dedicated to tourist accommodation, their number rises to 25. Catering is well represented with 19 projects. The tourist transport (4) and travel agency (2) files were retained only for processing, in accordance with the eligibility conditions mentioned in the AAP regulations.
The first edition of the call for projects has largely exceeded expectations thanks to the support of the ecosystem of actors and the communication strategy carried out for the popularization of this program, with the initiation of more than twenty workshops organized in the provinces and prefectures of the region.
Transformation projects exceed target
Referring to the same results, the creation projects selected have exceeded half of the forecasts established within the framework of the programme. They represent 83% of the target set for 2023, i.e. a total of 65 projects. The same goes for the number of transformation projects, which recorded a performance of more than 30%. It should also be noted that half of the 39 transformation projects selected without reservations are concentrated in the prefecture of Agadir Ida Outanane, in particular in the areas of the bay and north of Agadir. These projects are mainly linked to the entertainment and leisure sector.
In terms of territorial approach, 41% are located in urban tourist ecosystems. In addition, the results showed the dominance of VSEs (investment less than 3 MDH) with 80% of the projects selected. The second part (11%) consists of investment projects ranging between 3 and 10 MDH and 9% relates to medium-sized projects (amount of investment between 10 and 30 MDH).
At the end of this phase, the projects selected without reservation will enter the support phase with experts in the tourism trades and entrepreneurial support. This phase will begin from June 20, 2023 with the positioning interviews which will have to define, for each project, the needs in technical assistance, support, coaching and training.
Yassine Saber / ECO Inspirations
1687462640
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