Logistical Information

Conference venue

Registration

Participants are required to register and obtain identification badges prior to the opening of the meeting. There will be a documentation desk at the venue, outside the conference room where participants will receive an information package.

Language

The Conference working languages will be English, French and Arabic. Simultaneous translation will be available in these languages.

Visa requirements

1.Participants travelling to Morocco and departing from a country where an embassy or a consulate of the Kingdom of Morocco exists must obtain a visa in advance by presenting their travel documents at the embassy or the consulate.

2.Participants travelling to Morocco and departing from a country where no embassy or consulate exists will be issued with a visa on arrival in Morocco, but need to send a copy of their national passport and the ticket in addition to the invitation letter to the ECA North Africa Subregional Office at least 3 weeks before the travel date in order to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Cooperation the timely issuance of the necessary entry visa.

Travel to Marrakesh

Marrakech has an international airport with direct scheduled flights from all over Europe. If you are flying from the US, Canada, Asia or elsewhere, you'll most likely have to change planes in Casablanca.

If you fly via Casablanca, instead of taking the 45 min flight connection to Marrakesh where you could lose luggage due to the small size of the aircraft, CCDA-IV organizers will be providing a regular air-conditioned bus service from Casablanca airport to Marrakesh. In order to take the bus, please e-mail your arrival time in Casablanca to ccda@uneca.org. (CC. iayoub@uneca.org).

Marrakech airport is about 5km (3 miles) from the city. CCDA-IV organizers will be providing a regular air-conditioned bus service from Marrakech airport to the hotels. In order to take the bus, please e-mail your arrival time in Marrakech to ccda@uneca.org (CC. iayoub@uneca.org).

Taxis: The cost of a taxi from Marrakech Airport to the city Center is approximately MAD60. 

Payment has to be made in the local currency.

Bus: The No 19 Airport express bus is MAD30 for a single trip or MAD50 for round trip (if the return trip is within 2 weeks of initial purchase). It serves all the major hotels and is a great way to go from the airport to the hotels. You can easily find its departure stop, to the left of the road immediately outside of the Arrivals Hall at terminal 2, after the taxis. The bus leaves the airport every half an hour between 7AM and 9:30PM. The bus has no particular stops except Jamaa El Fna and can stop anywhere on the route. The driver has a small map to hand out and you can tell the driver your hotel you're heading to.

Train: Participants landing in Casablanca Airport may travel by train to Marrakech.

For information related to train timetable, refer to the following web site: www.oncf.ma

Health care

Participants travelling from countries with risk of Ebola virus transmission may be controlled on arrival according to the standards prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In case of accident or illness during the meeting, the participant must immediately inform a member of the Secretariat of ECA-NA and / or Organizing Committee. Participants should ensure that they are adequately insured - either at their own expense or at the expense of the body that appointed them - against illness, accident, temporary disability, death and damage to third parties and that for the duration of the meeting. ECA-NA does not assume any responsibility or liability for such risks.

If necessary, here below is the list of few clinics in Marrakech:

Money

Participants should bring an adequate supply of hard currency or travellers-cheques. US$ and Euro are easily exchanged and US$ are accepted in most major hotels. You can change money and traveler checks at the airport upon arrival or at all major banks, bureau de change and some hotels.

There are ATM’s throughout Morocco in all of the major Cities and most towns and also in the Conference venue. It is not possible to get foreign currency advances against a credit card. Credit cards are accepted at most of higher end hotels, restaurants and shops.

Currency restrictions

By law you are not allowed to import or export Moroccan Dirhams. Always keep the exchange receipt form of each transaction as it will be required when converting Dirhams back into US$ or Euros when leaving Morocco. A rule of thumb is not to exchange too much money at one time.

The exchange rates are as follows (for September 2014):

• 1 USD to 8.45 Dirham
• 1 Euro to 11.2 Dirham

Bank working Hours: 08h15-15h45

Climate

The temperature in Marrakech in October is between 30 ° C and 40 ° C.

Time zone

GMT+1

Electricity supply

Electricity supply in Morocco is 220-240 volts, 50 cycles AC accessible via 13-amp, two pin (European) socket + Neutral. An image of this socket type is included below.

Mobile phone service 

Maroc Télécom (Jawal), Meditel (Medi Jahiz) and Inwi are the 3 Telecommunication Companies in Morocco which offer SIM cards with pre-charged airtime. The cost of a 3G SIM card is less than $3. Payments have to be made in Moroccan Dirhams. Participants will require their passport when purchasing a SIM card from authorized stores.

Morocco has roaming convention with many countries.