A strategic sector for the Moroccan economy, the tourism sector has been hit hard by the health crisis linked to Covid-19. A situation which has not spared other branches of activity which are collapsing due to a very severe economic slump.
Indeed, the latest statistics show that the tourism sector experienced a drop in its added value of 7% in the first quarter of 2020, after an increase of 2.9% a year ago. Despite the deconfinement, the tourism sector continues to show significant declines in its revenues. It turns out that these accumulated a drop of 71.7% for the second quarter of 2020, i.e. a loss of 11.1 billion DH. At the end of the first six months of 2020, this decline is 33.2% or 11.1 billion dirhams.
As for the number of tourist arrivals, it fell by 63% at the end of June 2020 and that of overnight stays in classified accommodation establishments by 59%. For the month of June, the number of overnight stays stood at 68,199, down 97% in one year. “A more favorable development, although modest, is expected over the coming months, fueled particularly by the revival of the local tourist market,” explain DEPF analysts. They feed their optimism from the health measures introduced by the authorities on June 25, 2020 authorizing the opening of tourist accommodation activity, conditioned by measures allowing, initially, the operation of only 50% of accommodation capacities, combined with the resumption of domestic flights in the Kingdom from the same date.
For the year 2020, the decline in the flow of international arrivals is estimated by the World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) between 60% and 80%, which will lead to a drop in global tourism spending between 800 and 1000 billion dollars, or -60% compared to the previous year. “In Morocco, the estimated impact of this crisis for the year 2020 is a drop of 69% for tourist arrivals, 60% for foreign exchange earnings and around 50% loss of jobs,” we learn in the DEPF economic note.
In order to limit the harmful impact of this crisis for the tourism sector and accelerate its recovery, a program contract was signed on August 3, 2020 for the benefit of the sector, bringing together public and private actors at the national and regional level in order to regain pre-crisis performance. The program contract, covering the period 2020-2022, aims, with its 21 measures, to give a strong boost to the sector and breathe new life into it to support its recovery and transformation, through three major objectives, in particular, preserving the economic fabric and employment, accelerating the restart phase and laying the foundations for a sustainable transformation for the sector.
source:ecoactu.ma
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