Almeria Port Sees 12.7% Surge in Moroccan Diaspora Travelers for Summer Return

Coming mostly from France, Belgium, the Netherlands or Germany, these Moroccans residing abroad (MREs) embarked from the port of Almería to the port of Nador in Morocco and to Melilla, reports Diario de Almeria, specifying that according to data provided by the sub-delegation of the government, these figures exceed by 12.7% the 239,976 MREs who had transited through Almeria last year as part of the Marhaba Operation.

As for vehicles, their number reached 68,320 this year, compared to 57,922 in the same period last year, an increase of 17.8%. With these figures (passengers and vehicles), Almería has established itself as the second most frequented port by MREs after Algeciras (Cádiz) which recorded the passage of 901,528 MREs to the ports of Tangier in Morocco and Ceuta. Some 252,228 MREs transited through the port of Tarifa.

The figures for the 2023 Marhaba Operation will be better than last year due to the increase in online ticket sales, José María Martín, the sub-delegate of the government, had said on June 6. The maritime companies Transmediterránea, Balearia, Armas and GNV have also increased their fleet of ships to carry out the various rotations. In total, the Operation took place without incidents and delays during the outward phase. The return phase is ongoing.