“Everyone here knows Madeira thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo” – DNOTICIAS.PT

DIÁRIO is in Marrakesh to talk about the new route launched by Binter from Funchal, but whoever thinks Madeira is a foreign land is wrong.

“Today, here, from the biggest to the smallest, everyone knows Madeira thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo,” says Yassir Sighem, a tourist guide who accompanies Portuguese journalists in the “red city”.

Yasser is one of the few in his profession who speaks the language of Camões, but the situation is changing, not least because, as he points out, “today we see more and more Portuguese in Marrakesh and Morocco in general.”

On the other hand, he notes that “some tourism from Morocco to Portugal is also starting” to the detriment of other, more “traditional” destinations for Moroccans, such as Spain.

In particular, regarding the connection to Funchal, the freelance guide believes that the route has everything to continue. “Absolutely, for many reasons. First, the distance, as well as the cost of the flight between Portugal and Morocco. There are great promotions all year round, and sometimes it’s even cheaper than traveling around the country,” he says.

Morocco receives an average of 14 million tourists a year.