The number of tourists visiting Morocco in the first five months of 2023 reached 5.1 million for the first time, up 20% compared to the same period in 2019, said Minister of Tourism Fatim-Zahra Ammor.
This came as a response to a question with respect to the specifics of a current assessment and future roadmap of national tourism.
Ammor explained that this increase is due to Moroccan expatriates, who represent 56% of the total number of tourists, compared with 51% in 2022. She also noted that local tourism achieved revenues of around 32 billion MAD in 2023, an increase of 40% compared to 2019.
Foreign currency receipts amounted to a record 93 bln MAD, a climb of 16% compared to 2019, while the number of overnight stays reached 19 million, up 109% versus the year 2021.
She also pointed out that revenues from local tourism accounted for 42% of the Gross Domestic Product–compared with 31% before the global health crisis–while noting that the totals received are in large part due to the national football team’s success at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In this context, Ammour said that the national team’s outstanding performance had significantly improved Morocco’s reputation and provided a fresh chance to advance the travel and tourism industry, particularly with the growth of new markets like those of the United States, Brazil, Argentina, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa.
The minister pointed out that the word “Morocco” has been searched for over 17 million times on the internet and received 180 million interactions on social networks, compared to 500,000 before the World Cup.
The partnership between The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT)–sealed on June 7–will likely provide a positive influence.
The emergency plan, for which a budget of 2 bln MAD has been set aside, as well as the measures undertaken to improve the capacity of air travel, have both contributed to the tourist sector’s “very positive” outcome, she added.
Ammour stated that Europe represents 70% of outbound markets and that the cities of Marrakech and Agadir attract 60% of tourists.
Morocco has allocated a budget of 6.1 bln MAD for the tourism sector over the next four years. The funding will enable Morocco to receive about 17.5 million tourists and generate 120 billion MAD by 2026, in addition to creating 200,000 jobs.