Morocco’s Tourism Paradox: Record Visitor Numbers, Declining Revenues

With a record 14.5 million travelers in 2023, up 34% from 2022, Morocco’s tourism revenues reached 105 billion dirhams, up 12% from the previous year. In a press release, the supervisory ministry said that more than 2.1 million tourists (53% foreign tourists and 47% Moroccans living abroad) visited the kingdom in the first two months of 2024, representing a 14% increase compared to the same period last year.

In contrast, tourism revenues have been declining since the beginning of the year. According to the Office des Changes, travel revenues stood at 7.713 billion dirhams (DH) as of January 31, 2024, compared to 8.618 billion DH in the same period of 2023, a decrease of 10.5% or 905 million DH. As of February 29, 2024, these revenues reached 14.874 million DH compared to 15.940 million DH at the end of February 2023, representing a decrease of 6.7% or 1.06 million DH, the Office notes in its two latest "bulletins on monthly foreign trade indicators".

According to a hotelier quoted by Challenge, "tourist arrivals are rather a misleading performance. What interests us as hoteliers are mainly the overnight stays and consequently the revenues." "We are still waiting for the ministry to communicate the results concerning the overnight stays, which constitute the true indicator of tourism activity. Although we observe a progression in the arrivals of international tourists, it is necessary to take a step back and wait for the evolution over several months to draw significant conclusions," analyzes another professional.

For his part, Othmane Cherif Alami, president of the Regional Tourism Council (CRT) of Casablanca-Settat, explains that "these upward trends should start from April 15, 2024 both in terms of foreign exchange turnover and the number of visitors." Many professionals justify this decline in revenues by the proliferation of AirBnB accommodations, despite the adoption in August of a decree aimed at regulating alternative accommodations. Measures are underway to correct the situation before the 2025 CAN and the 2030 World Cup, assures Cherif Alami.