Patrick Simon
*Active member of the National Confederation of Tourism (CNT- Morocco),
*Active member of the National Federation of Hotel Industry (FNIH- Morocco),
*Active member of the Foundation for Actions Against Exclusion (FACE-Morocco) – Errachidia
*Active member of the International Alliance for Sustainable Development Objectives (AIODD-Morocco) Errachidia
*President of the Commission for Sustainable Tourism CNT & FNIH- Morocco,
*Founding member of the National Association of Mountain guides – Morocco,
*International Technical Expert for the Great Traverse of the Moroccan Atlas (GTAM – Morocco),
*Investor – Initiator of the Skydiving Niche in Morocco,
*1st Vice President of the Regional Council of Tourism of the Guelmim Oued Noun region.
*Invited Professor at the Euromed University in Fes – Masters on Tourism and cultural heritage
*President of the Commission « Academic Research Unit on Hydrogen» – AMHYD – CGEM
*Tourist Professional initiator of the pilot projects : AMDGJB Géoparc Jbel Bani, Maison d’hôtes Dar Infiane, Clef Verte à Tata, Campement Akka Nait Sidi and Chambres D’hôtes Chez Lahcen in Tissint, Southern Morocco.
*Honorary Vice President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CFCIM) Morocco (22 years)
*Golden ‘Clef D’Honneur’, for his project on training chief-concierges of Moroccan Palaces.
Arrived in Morocco, Marrakesh, in February 1976, I initially managed various Moroccan enterprises – building and equipment of the military Hospital ‘Avicenne’ in Marrakesh; construction of the Phosphate Centre of Youssoufia, Khouribga, for the OCP; studies for the construction project of the Military Base of Ben Guerir.
From 1982, as manager of the consultancy BEMGECHCO, I focused on the installation of telephone infrastructures on the Moroccan territory ;
as manager of the PSPM company and consultant in agricultural, touristic and environmental development, I designed and created a certain number of touristic animation (in Morocco, Spain, Saoudi Arabia, Israel);
as manager of the Maintaéro company, I put into place general aviation facilities, civil skydiving activities and aerial tourism in Morocco.
Whilst covering millions of square kilometres of the Moroccan territory, by car or airplane, I learnt about this country and acquired an in-depth knowledge of its historical, geographical, geological, and cultural heritage.
As international consultant:
I took part in the creation of the “Maison Méditerranéenne Climat Tanger”;
I carried out studies on 39 Ksours in the Tafilalet Region – PDRT of the Guelmim Oued Noun Region
I am currently leading the project ‘Sustainable Territory of the Jbel Bani Geoparc (TSGJB) and
I am President of the Moroccan Association for the Development of the Jbel Bani Geoparc (AMDGJB), in charge of its management and functioning, throughout the territory spreading from Zagora to Tantan, covering 120 000 square kilometres, 3 administrative regions, 9 provinces and 144 ‘communes’, with 1 275 350 inhabitants.
These initiatives are communicated online through a Web Platform which has been ranked as part of the top world 1% sites (ranking 756000 out of 260 million web sites managed by Google-Alexa Amazon).
Throughout a network of Sustainable Rural Tourism in the Jbel Bani Geoparc (RTDRGJB), already including 149 touristic establishments (3700 existing rooms, 6700 additional ones planned, 190 with the ecological ‘Green Label’) as well as Universities and Moroccan and Foreign ‘Hautes Ecoles’ (in architecture and Engineering), we are designing truly ecologically and socially-focused geo-touristic activities leading to the creation of jobs and incomes, specifically for the young local population, women’s cooperatives. We are doing so in an inclusive, integrated, manner, seeking to lower down the existing rural exodus and in view of preventing the forecast trends announced by the WLO for 2020-2021.
Our pilot projects are being currently carried out and actively contributing to a genuine local and regional administrative and institutional transformation towards a greener economy, sensitive to ecological and social partnerships that are better adapted to tackling the various issues that have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within the context of the development of the rural world and of the promotion of eco-Agro-Tourism, I am, last but not least, promoting work and research on Hydrogen in Morocco, in view of compensating carbon emissions derived from tourism and transport activities generated by it, completed with re-forestation initiatives. To these ends, I created a partnership with a Franco-Swiss Group, “Zero-Carbon mobility Hydrogen” for the Sustainable Jbel Bani GeoPark Territory, initiating more practical forms of rural development in line with the ‘Green Hydrogen’ approach and capable of generating thousands of jobs adapted to these environments.
Through these various initiatives, I intend to suggest and promote a clearly defined approach towards ‘Rural Sustainable Development’, in view of ensuring that it can contribute to creating new jobs whilst protecting social structures as well as environmental and social heritage in Morocco.