Regeneration pathways and experimental models of sustainable tourism use for the Douar of Morocco

The research carried out in the douar of Kasbat in Morocco, aims to define regeneration strategies capable of meeting social needs while ensuring the environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability of the transformations to be implemented. The methodology is based on a systemic and multi-scalar analysis of the material and immaterial resources of the douar’s complex and highly vulnerable systems. The participation of village inhabitants enables the identification of local needs and encouraging shared decision-making regarding intervention strategies. The results highlight that, according to the douar population, an increase in tourism could lead to large-scale development process. Considering the outcomes of the site analysis, the research identified in southern Morocco a circuit encompassing an area not yet affected by mass tourism flows. Furthermore, alternative scenarios for local tourism use were developed, designed to remain sustainable over time without compromising local resources or hindering the development of existing social and economic activities. The application of comparison matrix methodology enabled the selection, among several alternatives, of an adaptive reuse scenario of an old village building to support tourism-related activities, and the development of maisons d’hôtes - private dwellings accommodating a limited number of tourists - within the douar included in the proposed tourism circuit.