Morocco’s Tourism Sector Shows Signs of Recovery as Borders Reopen

In its latest economic note, the Directorate reports that despite an overall decline of 58.1%, tourism revenues increased by 15.2% in June 2021, benefiting from the gradual reopening of national borders from mid-June and the launch of the Marhaba 2021 operation.

The decline in these revenues stood at -10.5% in the second quarter of 2021, after -68.8% in the first quarter and -77.4% the previous year, the note points out, adding that tourist arrivals reached 71,225 tourists in April and May 2021, after 1,710 in the same period of the previous year, of which 49.2% are Moroccans living abroad.

As for the air transport sector, growth is noted at the end of June. Indeed, between June 15 and 30, 2021, the passenger flow amounted to 476,542 passengers, through 4,704 flights (international arrivals and departures), after 15,969 passengers in the same period of 2020 and 1.1 million passengers in 2019, representing 45% of the number achieved in the same pre-crisis period.

However, the DEPF points out that the gradual reopening of national air borders from June 15, 2021 and the exceptional arrangements of the Marhaba 2021 operation suggest a continuation of this recovery in the third quarter of 2021 without however reaching the levels recorded in 2019.