Morocco Tourism Rebounds to 14.5 Million Visitors, but Revenue Concerns Persist

To support professionals in the sector, which was severely affected by the health crisis, an emergency plan of 2 billion dirhams had been put in place. In addition to the subsidies granted to them, these funds were used to modernize 800 hotels, the Ministry of Tourism recently announced, which also announced that 14.5 million tourists visited Morocco in 2023.

According to tourism expert Zoubir Bouhoute, cited by Al3omk, these figures take into account both Moroccans residing abroad (51%) and foreign tourists. Curiously, these record arrivals contrast with the decline in tourism revenues. A situation that raises questions, especially after Morocco’s decline from 71st place in 2021 to 82nd place in the 2024 ranking of the global tourism development index, carried out by the World Economic Forum.

This decline would be mainly due to the poor scores obtained by Morocco in terms of natural and cultural resources, infrastructure and services. According to Bouhoute, the overnight stays for Moroccan tourists are negligible compared to the 16 million overnight stays for foreigners, which shows a low use of hotel services by Moroccans of the world during their visit to the kingdom.

Figures that highlight the decline in tourism revenues, which did not exceed $10 billion in 2023. The trend is likely to continue this year. In the first quarter of 2024, 56% of the tourists who arrived were foreigners and overnight stays only increased by 3%. Similarly, monthly tourism revenues show a decline compared to the last six months of 2023.