There’s a large square in the ancient city of Marrakech that’s filled with crazy and intriguing sights. There are jugglers, acrobats, strolling tea vendors wearing colourful costumes and even snake charmers, musically enticing their skinny workmates out of little wicker baskets. As evening falls the square becomes more crowded still, as everyone gathers to watch dancers, listen to Arabian storytellers, marvel at magicians and shop at stalls selling traditional medicines or cooking enticing snacks.

This is Djemaa el-Fnaa, one of the busiest and perhaps the most vibrant squares in all of Africa. It’s also the gateway to a maze of narrow alleys that form a vast souk, or market, which for centuries has been a popular spot for tourists eager to absorb the intoxicating culture of Morocco. Nearby are hotels, cafes and gardens that offer a peaceful contrast to the bustle of the square and the melee of the market. The most famous is Majorelle Gardens, where plants from around the world grow amid ornamental lakes and an Art Deco villa, in a complex once owned by the renowned fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent. Outside the gardens a row of horse-drawn
carriages are waiting to show you more of Marrakech, dubbed the red city because of its attractive red sandstone walls.

Marrakech is one of the most popular cities in Morocco, a country where the exotic names sound enticing even before you get there. Casablanca is another such place, the name conjuring up an image of romance. Casablanca is by far the largest city, with a population of 3.245 million. The city has certainly spruced itself up in recent years. As the country’s major cruise port, it also offers the best-developed tourist facilities. Its once poor area of Mâarif has been transformed into a well-heeled neighbourhood with luxury shops and trendy boutiques. In the city centre, the favourite entertainment district is Boulevard Mohammed V, with arcades of shops and restaurants running for almost two kilometres. Casablanca’s seaside resort is the Aïn-Diab coastal road lined with hotels and their private beaches, swimming pools and terrace bars where locals and tourists alike flock to watch the sunset and escape the heat of the city. There’s also the thrill of adventure in the High Atlas Mountains and deserts, with the desert city of Ouarzazate keen to become the centre of Saharan tourism. You can rough it by riding a Jeep or a camel across the sand, try mountain climbing or pot holing, then camp under the stars or upgrade to five stars in one of its newly built hotels.

Agadir is a major coastal resort popular with sun seekers and also as a starting point for tours to the Atlas Mountains. It’s perfectly possible to combine most of the country’s attractions into one holiday, since getting around between the cities is pretty easy. There’s a good network of local flights and decent rail links as well as long-distance buses. Many travel agents also offer round-the country tours, either giving you a broad taste of everything or focusing on a specific interest, like history or desert adventures.

My favourite was the adventure that focussed on food, since Morocco’s cuisine is an attraction in its own right, as rich in smells, flavours and colours as the cities themselves.

Couscous is the staple food, dressed with subtle spices and served with slowly-cooked meat and vegetables. Often it’s served with a tagine, the name of both the stew and the conical dish in which it is baked. A tagine can be made with meat, chicken or fish flavoured with fruits and vegetables, all cooked in its terracotta namesake. Another favourite is pastilla, a crisp and flaky pie of finely chopped pigeon, parsley, almonds and hard-boiled egg, then sweetened with honey cinnamon and sugar. It sounds bizarre, but it’s strangely addictive. Mint tea is one of the most popular drinks, often served with sweet and sticky pastries.

Another of Morocco’s big attractions is its relative safety and stability. It managed to avoid most of the political upheavals of the Arab Spring. Morocco’s rulers acted swiftly, with demonstrations across the country persuading the king to raise the minimum wage by 15 percent, raise the pay of civil servants, increase student scholarship and promise to revise the Constitution. King Mohammed also called for parliamentary elections, and the victorious Islamist party fielded a new prime minister. Protests still break out sporadically, but Morocco is one of the region’s safest countries for businessmen and tourists.

Business travel accounts for a relatively high 12.6 percent of total tourism spending, because Morocco is the third most popular country in Africa for staging large international conventions and conferences. Morocco hosted 23 large global or regional meetings in 2011, according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), ranking it as the 64th most popular destination in the world for business conferences. But don’t wait until you get invited to a meeting to enjoy the country.

The fact that Unesco has labelled eight sites in Morocco as World Heritage Sites speaks volumes for its history. One of them is the medina in Tetouan, a charming and dazzling white-painted town where Andalusian and Arab architecture converge. The medina’s shaded alleyways are home to several different trading areas, including a jewellery quarter. The medina in Fez is another World Heritage site, a centuries-old marketplace that pulsates with life. These ancient souks can be crowded and daunting, so keep your wits about you and treat the over-enthusiastic haggling with good humour while you browse the odd exotica on display. Persistent traders will address you in multiple languages until they find the one you recognise. Arabic is the official language, while French is commonly used for business and is the unofficial second language. Spanish and English are heard more often, too, as the country makes a determined effort to boost its tourism sector.

Morocco’s Department of Tourism aims to make the country one of the top 20 tourism destinations in the world by 2020. The government has put together a credible plan to achieve this. Specific targets in its Vision 2020 manifesto include building new hotels, thereby providing 200,000 more beds, developing six internationally competitive coastal resorts on the Atlantic and Mediterranean shores, and upgrading regional airports to attract budget airlines. The government has also pledged to build new train and road links and improve the infrastructure to host more international conferences. On the cultural side, there are plans to restore historical monuments, build a new museum and enhance traditional festivals.