Airline seat capacity in flights to and from Morocco is poised to surge by 40% in 2024, a significant increase over the 22% rise in 2023, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, Morocco’s Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, and the Social and Solidarity Economy, said on Monday.
Responding to questions on tourism sector’s revival strategy during a session at the Lower House, Ammor said that “the ministry has forged several partnerships with tour operators and online travel agencies.”
She added that multiple initiatives are currently underway, including enhancing and promoting air routes, diversifying tourist offerings, strengthening infrastructure, boosting domestic tourism, and improving human resource qualifications.
In terms of domestic tourism, the minister highlighted the roadmap’s focus on “Domestic Tourism – Coastal Areas” and “Domestic Tourism – Nature and Discovery,” programs which seek to develop tailored tourist products that cater to Moroccan preferences and encourage year-round domestic tourism.
Ammor noted key human resource initiatives including the “Mid-Level Managers” program, a rigorous “Continuous Training” initiative, and the introduction of the “Recognition of Prior Learning” program, expected to train 7,550 individuals from 2023 to 2026.
Ammor also noted that the roadmap “is starting to yield results,” pointing out the ministry’s efforts to diversify tourist offerings across 12 regions and implement strategic agreements with eight of Morocco’s regions.
“Our country achieved record milestones in the tourism sector in 2023, welcoming 14.5 million tourists, a 34% increase from 2022,” Ammor said. “The sector also generated 105 billion MAD in foreign currency revenues in 2023, a significant rise from 2019.”
Ammor pointed out Morocco’s “exceptional growth” in the first half of 2024, with 7.4 million tourists arriving, marking a 14% increase from 2023 and a 38% increase from 2019.
“Our targets anticipated an additional million tourists during the entire year, yet Morocco has already seen over 900,000 additional tourists in just six months,” she added.