The Moroccan tourism sector recorded an “exceptional” year in 2017 with strong growth in the number of non-resident tourist arrivals, nights in EHTCs and foreign exchange earnings, indicates the Ministry of Tourism, Air Transport, Crafts and the Social Economy.
In a press release, the ministry announced that the number of tourist arrivals at border crossings amounted to 11.35 million in 2017, an increase of 10% compared to 2016, or more than 1 million additional tourists,
This increase concerns almost the majority of the Kingdom’s main markets, such as Germany (+15%), Holland and Italy (+9%), France and Spain (+8%), as well as the United States which experienced a significant increase of +29%, specifies the ministry, adding that emerging markets for Morocco continue to record strong growth: +151% for China, +39% for Japan and +38% for Brazil.
Regarding the volume of nights spent in classified tourist accommodation establishments (EHTC), it also recorded strong growth of +15% in 2017 compared to a year previously.
This performance, it is explained, is due to the increase in overnight stays of non-resident tourists (+18%), as well as those of resident tourists (+7%), noting that the majority of tourist destinations in the Kingdom have experienced significant increases in their overnight stays.
The strongest growth was recorded in the city of Fez (+39%), Ouarzazate (+37%), Tangier (+25%), Marrakech (+17%), Agadir and Casablanca (+11%).
Regarding the occupancy rate, it reached 43% in 2017, recording an increase of three points compared to 2016, reports the ministry, noting that tourist receipts in foreign currency reached 69.7 billion dirhams in 2017 compared to 64.2 billion dirhams in 2016, thus recording an increase of +8.5%.
source: today.ma
