Manager Memo podcast · Len Samborowski, MBA Associate Professor, Nichols College

Destination Morocco

·34 min·2 clips

Azdeen says Morocco is “super safe for solo travelers, female travelers,” citing police, checkpoints, and tourism police.

Azdene El Moussakine is introduced as a multilingual world traveler and the founder of Destinations Morocco. He speaks with the host from Houston, Texas. The conversation opens with his roots in Marrakesh and his family connection to Telouet near Ouarzazate. Ouarzazate is described as the Hollywood of Morocco or Africa, a place where many films are made, and that detail gives a clearer sense of place. He says he came to the United States in 1995 to finish his studies. He did not complete school, and that turn led him into business instead. The discussion then settles into the travel work itself. He explains that Destinations Morocco builds custom itineraries across Morocco, from the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert. The host describes that work as handling the details so the traveler can keep the memories. When asked how he handles difficult clients, he says patience matters. He also advises keeping expectations low so disappointment does not arrive too fast. When the host asks about the future, he says growth means different things to different people. For him, staying small is part of the plan because it lets him stay close to guests and clients. He says the goal is not to become huge. The aim is to improve what he already does and grow only a little, enough to stay comfortable and handle the work well. The host then shifts to Morocco's business landscape. Azdene says he is not deeply connected to the country's manufacturing side, but he still points to opportunities tied to oil, minerals, and new development. He mentions the Moroccan Sahara as a likely area for growth and references partnerships and contracts that could shape the next five to ten years. The conversation also touches renewable energy, which the host links to the Sahara Desert. It closes with travel logistics and flight options, including routes from Washington, New York, Atlanta, and Boston, plus a planned Los Angeles flight in 2026, with Azdene choosing the Atlanta-to-Marrakech route.

As heard by us

A grounded travel-business interview about custom itineraries, patience, and Morocco as a destination.

The conversation centers on a Morocco-focused travel business built around custom itineraries and careful hospitality. Azdene El Moussakine traces a path from Marrakesh to Houston and returns again to the practical work of planning trips across the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara…

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Why you'd press play

Hear a Morocco travel founder turn custom itineraries into a business lesson.

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