The sector indicators are in line with the “exceptional” performance of the sector observed in 2023. The first two months of the year were marked by a 14% increase in arrivals. A development which demonstrates the appeal of the Morocco destination. The tourism dynamic continues its upward trend. Capitalizing on the “exceptional” performances achieved in 2023, the sector continues to “outperform” at the start of the year. This is evidenced by the positive indicators noted by the supervisory ministry for the first two months of the year. At the end of February, Morocco welcomed more than 2.1 million visitors, a flow up 14% compared to the same period of the previous year. A trend which results from a strong contribution both from foreign tourists (53%) and from Moroccans living abroad (47%). In January alone, arrivals at border crossings came close to 1 million tourists, an increase of 10% compared to the same period of the previous year. Referring to the data revealed by the Tourism Observatory, the main source markets have recorded notable developments. We observed an 11% increase in tourists from France, marking the arrival of 122,000 French tourists in the Kingdom at the end of January 2024 compared to 110,000 in the same month of the previous year. Arrivals from the United Kingdom increased by 24%, going from 43,000 tourists in January 2023 to 54,000 tourists in January 2024. The German market continued the same trend with arrivals increasing by 28%, or 21,000 tourists in the first month of 2024 compared to 17,000 a year earlier. Arrivals from Spain remained unchanged at 88,000 visitors while those from the United States fell by 10% compared to the previous year. The evolution of arrivals at border posts by main point of entry shows a 15% increase in flows at Marrakech-Menara airport. Casablanca Mohammed V airport comes in second position, marking an 8% increase in arrivals. There is also an 18% increase in arrivals at Agadir Al Massira airport and 9% at Tangier Ibn Battouta. At the same time, arrivals at Fez-Saiss airport fell by 3% compared to the end of January 2023. Regarding nights spent in classified tourist accommodation establishments, the volume declared by professionals stands at 1.76 million nights; up 8% year-on-year. This dynamic is driven by an 11% increase in overnight stays for international tourists and a 3% increase for domestic tourists. By destination, there was an increase of 25% in Essaouira, 17% in Agadir and 12% in overnight stays in Marrakech. Overnight stays have also increased by 3% in Rabat and by 1% in Casablanca. On the other hand, overnight stays marked a drop of 17% in Fez, 9% in Tangier and 6% in Al Haouz. Taking into account these developments, the occupancy rate stands at 39%, i.e. at a level identical to that recorded at the same period last year. It should be noted that this positive dynamic displayed by the tourism sector testifies to the efforts made to promote the different components of the Morocco destination, thus testifying to the attractiveness of the Kingdom in accordance with the sector roadmap established for the period 2023-2026
