Marrakech tops British Airways’ 2011 top ten destinations

Marrakech, a city in the North African country of Morocco, occupies the top slot of British Airways’ top 10 destinations of 2011. Besides unveiling next year's hot destinations list, which was populated by popular places in the US, Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, British Airways also announced that it will start flights to Marrakech in March 2011.

“The response we've had to the launch of routes like the Maldives, Las Vegas and Marrakech has been incredible,” Willie Walsh, British Airways’ CEO, was quoted as saying in media.

Marrakech offers an old world charm in modern setting, as a part of the city consists of ancient fortified medinas (walled cities) and the other is like any other modern cities. The place is also becoming popular for value travel as the food, shopping and accommodation is very cheap, costing less than half of that in the United States. Located at the foothills of Atlas Mountains, Marrakech also attracts adventure travelers.

The other destinations that made it to the British Airways list comprise Haneda (Tokyo), Puerto Rico and San Diego. The airline has announced that it would start services in all these places in the first half of 2011. St Kitts & Nevis, Mauritius and St Lucia have also made it to the top ten places, British Airways said.

“We've seen destinations in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean becoming even more popular with leisure travellers looking for sun and relaxation. Those after 24-hour cities are heading towards New York, Las Vegas and Japan, Walsh added.