Morocco welcomed nearly 4.2 million in the first half of 2016, down 2.6% compared to the same period of 2015, according to the Moroccan tourism observatory.
The number of foreign tourists fell by 5.6%, while visits by Moroccans living abroad increased by 1.7%, said the observatory, cited by the official MAP press agency. The number of French tourists fell by 5%.
The two main tourist centers of the country remain Marrakech and Agadir. These cities located in the south of Morocco alone generated 59% of total overnight stays over the first six months of 2016, however recording declines of 3% and 5% respectively.
Like other countries in the region, Morocco is suffering from the troubled international context and the drop in the number of foreign tourists after deadly attacks, particularly in Tunisia and Egypt.
A key sector of the Moroccan economy, tourism is one of the country’s main sources of foreign currency, with exports and financial transfers from Moroccans living abroad.
Morocco has been spared attacks since 2011 and is pursuing an offensive security policy to prevent the risk of terrorism with the Hadar system (vigilance in Arabic), deployed since 2014 in all sensitive and tourist sites.
