The reversal of the situation took place in 2018 with greater tourist numbers of Moroccans in Spain than of Spaniards in Morocco.

Last February, a report from the EFE press agency announced that 900,000 Moroccans had traveled to Spain. Opposite, Morocco only received 814,069 Spanish visitors. That’s a difference of 10%.

Contacted by Médias24, the Spanish Tourist Office confirms the figure of 900,000 Moroccan tourists which has increased since 2016 (630,000) with growth of 13% in 2017 (711,000) then 26% in 2018 (900,000).

According to our interlocutor, the majority of Moroccan arrivals take place during the 3 summer months.

Very few Moroccans fly; most disembark by car in the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa before taking the road to settle in their favorite regions which are the Costa Del Sol (Malaga, Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Torremolinos…) or the Costa Brava in winter.

The rush is such that the growth rate of Moroccan arrivals now exceeds that of Iberian arrivals in Morocco which only increased by 14.5% between 2017 and 2018.

If our source prefers to delay before revealing to us the figures for Moroccan spending in Spain, she has agreed to provide us with indicators allowing us to obtain an estimate.

Morocco-Spain travel balance: more than 5 billion DH in tourist spending compared to 4 billion in revenue

Thus, according to him, 60% of the 900,000 Moroccan visitors who put their hands in their pockets during the holidays in 2018, or 540,000 people, the rest being children or dependents.

Knowing that the average length of stay of a Moroccan household in Spain is 6 nights and that its daily budget (accommodation, food, leisure, transport, etc.) is 150 euros (nearly 1,600 dirhams), the total Moroccan tourist spending in Spain in 2018 is therefore estimated at 5.2 billion DH.

A figure higher than the 4.1 billion DH spent by the 814,069 Spanish tourists during their Moroccan stay in 2018.

The difference of 1.1 billion dirhams is explained by the greater number of Moroccan tourists (10% more) but also by their larger budget than that of Spaniards who spend 115 euros/day for an average length of stay of four nights including around 45 euros for their hotel night.

Visibly delighted with the significant increase in the number of Moroccans in Spain and especially their significant spending, our interlocutor reveals that the opening in Morocco of a representation of the Spanish Tourist Office is being studied to boost “an emerging market that is still under-exploited”.

Very optimistic, he suggests that the current dynamic of progression which will receive more support from the Spanish authorities should lead to 1 million Moroccan arrivals in Spain in 2020.

The expected relaxation of visa procedures risks worsening the deficit

Thanks to this reversal of the trend, Spain, which already has a profitable trade balance with Morocco (1st supplier), has also made its travel balance profitable. A situation supposed to push the government of this country to mobilize more resources to facilitate the procedures for granting visas to Moroccan tourists.

The Spanish Foreign Minister recently apologized for the slowness of procedures and promised improvements. But if these are followed up with more visas allocated, there is no doubt that the rush of Moroccan tourists to Spain will continue, which could further worsen the deficit in the Morocco-Spain travel balance.

source: medias24.com