L’Année du Maghreb (Dec 2022)
L’entrepreneuriat touristique local : une opportunité d’inversion du processus de marginalisation d’un centre historique ? Une analyse dans la médina de Fès au Maroc
Abstract
This article focuses on the process of demarginalization of the medina of Fez through tourism entrepreneurship. It explores it from three complementary angles: the representation of the medina space that has evolved positively, the "laissez-faire" of local public authorities that has also served as an incentive, and the status of the new Moroccan entrepreneurs who analyze their own actions. In particular, they defend their development, which is synonymous with "Moroccan authenticity" in their discourse with tourists; they are involved in political debates on local tourism development through associations and professional networks. Field surveys were conducted in June-July 2018 and December 2019, supplemented by observations conducted as a resident in the medina of Fez between 2016 and 2020, and again twice during the health crisis. A total of 20 interviews were conducted: ten with modest families who have gradually converted their homes from income derived from low-skilled jobs in different sectors (tourism, crafts, catering); two with disadvantaged households who have benefited from government assistance through the "Ziyarates Fez" program; and three with tourism entrepreneurs who are also large property owners. The latter own travel agencies, restaurants and/or several guest houses or hotels, both in the medina and in the new city. Finally, five interviews were held with local associations and public actors, whether they are members of the Association of Riads and Guest Houses of Fez (ARMH-Fez), the municipality, the Regional Investment Center or the Regional Tourism Council of the city. Initially, the article provides a summary of the medina since the French Protectorate (1912-1956) until the late 2010s. It emphasizes its social, economic and political marginalization until the early 1980s. The craze for old houses and their conversion into guest houses by foreigners then aroused the interest of public authorities who sought to accompany this new entrepreneurial dynamic to better supervise and manage it. The legal framework at the national level, defined in 2002, quickly proved insufficient and the definition of a new regulation, in 2014, did not make it possible to respond to the diversity of the new forms of accommodation. However, the local authorities partially compensated for these shortcomings by issuing "ready-to-rent" permits, starting in 2009. This has enabled many Moroccan and foreign tourism entrepreneurs to open and operate their guest houses. In parallel with these authorizations, a program to support the poorest families has been put in place to convert houses. It encourages home-stay accommodation through a label. These local measures have helped disadvantaged families to become involved in the safeguarding and development of the tangible and intangible heritage of the medina. Each entrepreneur profile puts forward its defense of a "Moroccan authenticity", articulated around the intangible heritage, particularly the family. However, new social differentiations are widening the gaps between these private actors. Their involvement in associations testifies to a strengthening of the socio-economic position of large landowners to the detriment of the more modest. The latter remain on the margins of discussions within the ARMH-Fès, when they are not excluded. Those who only have the status of "house ready to rent" appear in a fragile position. Their difficulties in forming a collective also undermine their recognition. They struggle in a form of informality, tolerated by the local authorities but outside the debates on the development of tourism in the medina of Fez.
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