The heritage presented in the cultural and political history of countries in Africa has a huge potential to grow the tourism industries and economies of respective countries, if well promoted. For this reason, these sites need to be preserved, to continually contribute to the economies of countries on the continent, for generations to come.
According to the World Tourism Organization WTO, sustainable tourism should make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
A visit to the City of Rabat in Morocco has revealed that thousands of both local and international tourists come to the city every year, to view the major heritage sites, The Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of King Mohammed the fifth where his two sons, the late king Hassan the second and prince Abdallah are also buried.
The site has history of how the Moroccan people showed solidarity to the royal family when the French who occupied the country before independence forced Mohammed V and his family into exile on Corsica. When the Royal Family finally returned home, Moroccans showed up in their hundreds to welcome the king, and the area they gather enmasse is where the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of King Mohammed the fifth are situated today.
Othmane Mounadi, a tour guide licensed by the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism says depending on the season, the site which is one of the most important in Rabat has thousands of people visiting it, just in months. During a visit at the site, this writer witnessed crowds of both local and international tourists coming in to appreciate monumental architecture.
"On this site in Rabat, we have quite a good number of visitors, sometimes hundreds in a single day, especially between the months of March and May," Mr Mounadi said. He explains, "This is the Iconic Hassan Tower. We have our very, very busy seasons and those of us who have grown up here have memories of people from different parts of Morocco coming to visit the site while there are also plenty of international visitors."
