Tourism in Morocco: a post-COVID success story
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Economy, visitor arrivals totaled 6.5 million persons in the first six months of this year, a 21% increase over the same period last year. “The figures for June confirm the upward trajectory that tourism has been on since January 2023.”
The number of arrivals is expected to reach 6.5 million by the end of June 2023, a 21% increase over the previous year, according to a ministry brief on tourist arrivals.
According to the same source, the volume of arrivals at border checkpoints reached approximately 1.4 million visitors in June, a +25% increase over 2019.
Several markets contributed to this achievement, including Spain (+79% vs. 2019), the United States, Canada, the Israeli market (+96% vs. 2019), the United Kingdom (+23% vs. 2019), and Portugal (+16% vs. 2019)
The ministry explains that numerous partnerships have been signed with Tour Operators and online travel agencies in order to secure 2.8 million customers for the 2023 summer season, which is double the volume secured for the 2019 summer season.
According to the press release, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, Minister of Tourism, Crafts, and the Social and Solidarity Economy, stated that “the indicators of the sector testify to the very good health of our tourism.”
And to add: “Our ambitions are obviously more important within the framework of the roadmap, and we will continue to work with the entire industry and deploy the necessary means to achieve our quantitative and qualitative objectives”
Tourism, a key foreign exchange earner, produced 41 billion dirhams (MMDH) in foreign currency receipts by the end of May 2023, representing a 42% increase over the same time in 2019.
