Santa Maria: The Sunny Island of the Azores Where a Red Desert Meets a Lush Forest

The first chapter of the Azores’ Portuguese history unfolded here, on Santa Maria, the first island to be discovered in 1427 and subsequently colonized. In 1493, while returning from the New World, Christopher Columbus paused there after weathering a fierce storm, and held a Mass in the chapel of Baía dos Anjos.

Rihla Raid & Flavors: When the 4×4 Meets Moroccan Cuisine


Quand le 4x4 rencontre la gastronomie marocaine - Depositphotos.com @encrier

Aer Lingus


TourMaG – You are a Franco-Moroccan head chef and a keen follower of off-road rallies. Could you share your journey and the birth of Rihla Raid & Saveurs?

Aziza Bzazou : I am a Franco-Moroccan chef, a solo mother of three grown children, and I will soon turn 55. I have always loved introducing Morocco through its flavors and traditions. At the same time, I developed a passion for off-road driving and rallying. For a long time, I lived these two passions separately.

Following an injury, I was deemed unfit by occupational health services. That meant considering a professional reorientation. The idea sprang from a simple question: why not bring together my two worlds, 4×4 and cuisine?

I wanted to create the journey I would have loved to live myself: to travel Morocco differently, meet its people, and discover its gastronomy along the road. Rihla Raid & Saveurs was born from this desire to share a Morocco I know and deeply love.


A rally to discover Morocco differently

TourMaG – Has your participation in the Rallye des Gazelles, the Roses des Sables Trophy, and several rounds of the French Endurance Championship for off-road influenced your approach to travel?

Aziza Bzazou : These experiences taught me to stay calm in the face of the unforeseen and to trust a team. They also revealed another way to traverse landscapes: to take time to observe them, to respect the places, while cultivating a love of adventure and sharing.

It is this mindset that I want to bring back to Rihla Raid & Saveurs. It is about living a true adventure, not chasing performance.

TourMaG – How will this first edition unfold and what type of travelers is it aimed at?

Aziza Bzazou : Travelers arrive in Marrakech on October 19. The raid begins on the morning of the 20th. We cross the High Atlas, pass through the Ounila Valley and Aït-ben-Haddou, then continue toward the Valley of the Roses. The route then takes us across the Anti-Atlas, the Drâa Valley and Zagora, before reaching the Sahara for a night in a luxury bivouac at Chegaga.

We return to Marrakech via Taroudant on October 24. The final evening will feature a Franco-Moroccan fusion dinner, before the participants depart on October 25.

The journey takes place in a small group, on roads and tracks, with highly varied landscapes and stops that allow time to pause. Participants can drive their own 4×4 or opt for a package with a driver-guide.

This experience targets curious people who love to discover, share, and depart from the usual itineraries. It isn’t necessary to be a rally driver: the essential is to enjoy both the journey and the encounters.


Gastronomy as the guiding thread of the journey

TourMaG – Gastronomy occupies a central place in your concept. How do you integrate it into the itinerary and interactions with locals?

Aziza Bzazou : I didn’t want to merely offer a rally with a few Moroccan meals. I wanted cooking to accompany the discovery of the regions we pass through. There will be local specialties, shared meals, and a culinary workshop to understand techniques, products, and spices.

The journey will culminate in a fusion dinner that I will craft from A to Z, drawing on my two cultures, French and Moroccan. I started from the encounters and experiences I wanted to share with travelers. A meal at a local home or an exchange with a craftsman can leave memories as strong as a landscape.

I have therefore planned stages that allow discovering local know-how, culinary traditions, and the life of the traversed territories, with the support of local partners.

TourMaG – You want to offer a more responsible way to discover Morocco. How is this translated concretely?

Aziza Bzazou : It starts with the size of the group and with the attention paid to the places we pass through. I want to work with local actors, foster encounters, and raise participants’ awareness of preserving landscapes. An insulated water bottle is also provided as part of the measures to reduce waste.

In the longer term, I am considering an associative project around reforestation and solidarity in Morocco. It is a path I would like to develop in addition to Rihla Raid & Saveurs.


Developing Rihla Raid & Saveurs without losing its identity

TourMaG – What are your ambitions for the future of Rihla Raid & Saveurs?

Aziza Bzazou : I want to grow Rihla Raid & Saveurs while preserving what makes it unique: small groups, an accessible adventure, and a real emphasis on traditional cuisine and authentic encounters.

I aim to offer new departures, on different circuits across Morocco, and broaden the experience to new audiences, notably corporate committees. My goal is to grow this project with local partners without losing its human dimension.

I want participants to leave with beautiful images, of course, but above all with memories of the people they met, shared meals, and a Morocco they took the time to discover in a different way.


Amelia Brille Publié par Amelia Brille Rédactrice TourMaG.com
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When Passion Meets Rhythm: IN TOURS PORTUGAL Enters Its Peak Season


© In Tours Portugal

Hurtigruten


The last four months of the year traditionally rank among the busiest periods for our company. It is a season during which we welcome many clients to Portugal, while our sales team travels, meets our partners and prepares the months ahead.

It is an intense, demanding period and sometimes very busy, but it also perfectly reflects what IN TOURS PORTUGAL is.

At IN TOURS PORTUGAL, our work is driven by a genuine passion for Portugal and for our craft. We love to reveal our country, present to our clients different regions, experiences and encounters, and ensure that every trip runs in the best possible conditions.

For our Operations team, autumn months are particularly active. Many clients travel across Portugal and, behind every itinerary, there is a substantial amount of organizational work.

Hotels, restaurants, guides, transport, visits and experiences all have to be perfectly coordinated. There are always many details to manage and, of course, a trip does not always go exactly as planned.

A flight can be delayed, the weather can change, clients can modify their plans and sometimes a programme must be adapted at the last minute.

That is part of our job.

Being a DMC is not only about preparing a good itinerary. It is also about being available, reacting quickly and finding the right solution when something unexpected arises.


During periods of high activity, teamwork becomes even more important. Our Operations team works closely with our guides, drivers, hotels, restaurants and all local partners who help ensure the smooth running of each programme.

These relationships are extremely important to us. Being able to rely on trusted partners across Portugal allows us to respond quickly and maintain the level of service that our clients and partners expect from IN TOURS PORTUGAL.

And even if these months can be demanding, they are also very rewarding.

Seeing our clients enjoy Portugal, discover a place for the first time, taste our gastronomy or simply appreciate the atmosphere of our country remains one of the most beautiful aspects of our work.

In parallel, our commercial team also enters a very active period.

September marks the start of several important months on the international tourism calendar, with several major events in Europe and Asia.

We begin the month in Paris with IFTM Top Resa, an important gathering for the French tourism industry and a regular date on our commercial calendar.

Trade shows like IFTM are always an excellent opportunity to reconnect with partners we already know, to establish new contacts and to better understand market developments.

For us, participating in these events is not simply about promoting Portugal.

It is, above all, about human relationships.

Tourism remains a deeply human sector. Emails, video calls and technology facilitate communication, but nothing replaces a good face-to-face conversation.

Meeting our partners in person allows us to better understand their needs, listen to what their clients are seeking and exchange ideas.


© In Tours portugal


In October, our schedule becomes even busier.

We will be in Rimini for TTG Travel Experience, where we will continue our work with the Italian market and meet tourism professionals from Italy and other countries.

Later in the month, our team will travel to Singapore for ITB Asia. This is another important event for IN TOURS PORTUGAL and a great opportunity to develop our relationships with partners in Asia and on other international markets.

October will also take us to Poland for the PPCC Tourism Workshops, where we will have the chance to meet local travel professionals and continue promoting Portugal on this growing market.

Then, in November, we will be back in London for the WTM.

WTM London remains one of the year’s major events for the international tourism industry. It brings together professionals from around the world and offers us another opportunity to reconnect with our partners, create new contacts and prepare future collaborations.

Paris, Rimini, Singapore, Poland and London are very different markets and environments, but our objective remains the same: to meet, listen, learn and build solid partnerships.


© In Tours Portugal


The travel industry is constantly evolving, just as travelers are.

Clients are more experienced, more curious, and often seek more personal experiences. They want to discover places beyond the must-see, to live authentic experiences and to create a real connection with the destination.

For us, this means we must also keep moving forward.

Even after many years of working in Portugal, there is always something new to discover. A new hotel, a restaurant, a local producer, a new experience or simply another way to present a place we already know very well.

This curiosity is an important part of IN TOURS PORTUGAL.

We know Portugal, but we also continue to explore it.

The coming months will therefore be very active across the different teams in the company.

Our Operations team will be in Portugal, serving our clients and attentive to the smooth running of each programme. In parallel, our sales team will travel, meet our partners and represent IN TOURS PORTUGAL on important international markets.

These two dimensions of our work are closely linked.

Strong business relationships create new opportunities, while the quality of our operations builds the trust that allows these relationships to grow over time.

Behind both lies the same commitment: a personalized service, great attention to detail, flexibility and a genuine passion for what we do.

The coming months will be filled with busy days, packed agendas, meetings, client arrivals, last-minute changes, flights and many miles traveled by the IN TOURS PORTUGAL team.

And we are ready.

Because, in the end, that’s exactly what we love to do: welcome travelers to Portugal, work closely with our partners and create journeys that clients will remember.

For IN TOURS PORTUGAL, these intense months are not really about being very busy.

They are above all the pleasure of doing what we love.

IN TOURS PORTUGAL, your reliable and passionate partner!


© In Tours Portugal



Quand la passion rencontre le rythme : IN TOURS PORTUGAL entre dans l’une des périodes les plus intenses de l’année

Elsa DIOGO

+351 244 836 431

[email protected]

www.in-tours.com/fr
> IN TOURS PORTUGAL in the DESTIMAG Directory