Morocco: SMAP Expo Milan 2019 Receives 20,000 Visitors

SMAP Logo of 2018
SMAP Logo of 2018
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Morocco: SMAP Expo Milan 2019 Receives 20,000 Visitors

SMAP Logo of 2018
SMAP Logo of 2018

Moroccan real estate and lifestyle expo, SMAP Expo Milan 2019, received 20,000 people this year during its showing days between November 1 and 3, where 35 exhibitors showcased their projects on various Moroccan cities.

This year, the event dedicated a special celebration to the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region as a guest of honor.

The program also included seminars and interactive meetings on the legal framework of the real estate in Morocco, market conditions and issues of financing the acquisition of property, taxes and investment opportunities.

The exhibition aims to bring the real estate market closer to the Moroccan community in Italy and neighboring European countries, by showing comprehensive and carefully selected housing projects in various regions of Morocco.

It also includes areas for banks and financial companies specialized in financing real estate and insurance, as well as notaries and representatives of Moroccan public departments to enable visitors to complete their transactions.

The exhibition stems from the association of Moroccan immigrants to their motherland, trying to facilitate the acquisition of a secondary residence in Morocco.

It wants to bring all relevant interests in one place and provide clarity about the Moroccan market including counseling and awareness services, through the discussions organized on the sidelines.

The SMAP Group organized the exhibition, in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning of the National Territory, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy (MAPNTUPHCP), as well as the Moroccan Federation of Real Estate Developers, as part of the tour of the Moroccan real estate and art of living “SMAP Roadshow 2019”

The expo was first held in Paris in June, and later in May 2020, the French capital will host the exhibition “SMAP Immo Paris” as the first leg of “SMAP Roadshow 2020”.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
TT

China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.