Rafat's Video Diary: The Hidden Economic Impact of Visiting Friends and Relatives


Skift Take

Despite being repeat visitors who often stay longer and spend money locally, VFR travelers are rarely targeted by tourism marketing efforts. In an era of hyper-personalization enabled by AI, there's a significant opportunity to better serve the VFR market.

This is the second in a series of video diaries I am doing while spending time in Morocco for a family commitment. I am experimenting with this video diary format to share my thoughts on the travel industry through the lens of my stay here. Here's the first one, which was on preserving authenticity in a digital age.

The second one is below. If you aren’t able to view the video properly here, check it out directly on my LinkedIn post.

Greetings from Meknes, a charming town in northern Morocco, about a three-hour drive from Casablanca. I've been staying here for an extended period — about a month in total — which places me in an interesting category within the travel industry known as VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives).

We VFR travelers exist somewhere between tourists and residents, often overlooked by the mainstr