The current performance of the Moroccan tourism sector should nevertheless be seen in the context of the spectacular 69.2 per cent increase recorded in the previous year.
Morocco has welcomed a record 10 million tourists up to July this year, and the country hopes to exceed last year’s arrivals, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Arrivals in the first seven months were 15 per cent up on the same period last year, according to the Directorate of Financial Studies and Forecasts (DEPF) under the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance.
In July alone, 2.6 million people visited Morocco, an increase of 20 per cent on the same month last year, it said.
“The increase in arrivals augurs well for an exceptional summer season and adds to the optimism of tourism operators,” the Ministry of Tourism said in a press statement in June.
The news comes as European low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizzair open new routes linking Morocco’s tourist centres with European cities.
Morocco aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals to 26 million by 2030, when the country will co-host the World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
MN/Sf/ac/fss/GIK/APA