Hespress Français – News from Morocco Economy Tourism: Morocco 3rd most visited Arab country in 2022
Since the lifting of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic crisis, the tourism sector is finally regaining its good momentum in Morocco. The Kingdom was ranked 3rd among the most visited Arab countries in 2022 with 11 million tourists, according to a report from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). According to UNWTO figures, Saudi Arabia tops the list with 18 million incoming visitors, thanks to the pilgrimage period. Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector has grown exponentially by 121% compared to pre-pandemic international tourism. The United Arab Emirates follow in second place with nearly 15 million visitors. In the list of countries, it is worth highlighting the position of Syria which, despite the tensions and crises that the country has been going through for more than a decade, has welcomed around 8.5 million people, making it the fourth country in the Arab world with the highest number of tourists. Thanks to the strategy adopted by the supervisory ministry, Morocco found itself in 3rd position in the UNWTO barometer for 2022 for its performance based on revenues, achieving growth of 6% compared to 2019 and ranking among the top 10 in the world. Indeed, with the lifting of travel restrictions, more tourists have visited Morocco. In September, the National Airports Office of Morocco (ONDA) announced that PCR tests and vaccines would no longer be mandatory to enter the country, removing one of the main obstacles for tourists. On the other hand, the Minister of Tourism, Crafts and Social Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, affirmed that national airports have recovered 82.12% of their traffic and 83.02% of their airport movements in 2022 compared to 2019, tourist accommodation establishments (EHT) are, for their part, at 84% of their activity. She notably indicated that travel revenues exceeded their pre-pandemic level, i.e. 112% at the end of November 2022 and managed to accumulate an amount of 81.7 billion dirhams during the first 11 months of 2022, noting the sector ended the year with more than 18.5 million nights, i.e. more than 73% recovery rate. The UNWTO added that Europe and the Middle East could return to pre-pandemic tourism levels in 2023, with countries like Morocco, Turkey and France seeing a significant recovery in tourism figures. The Moroccan tourism sector has indeed shown signs of recovery during the year after being severely hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic. That said, according to the forward-looking scenarios established by the UNWTO for 2023, international tourist arrivals could reach 80% to 95% of their pre-pandemic levels this year, depending on the extent of the economic slowdown, the ongoing recovery of travel in Asia-Pacific and the evolution of the Russian-Ukrainian file, among other factors.
source: fr.hespress.com
