Morocco’s handicrafts exports grow to $1 bln- minister

Morocco’s handicrafts exports grew to $1 billion in 2023, up 7% from a year earlier, tourism minister said.

Speaking at a fair in Rabat, Fatima Zahra Ammour said her department was working to preserve 32 handicrafts.

Morocco’s colourful and diversified handicrafts employ 20% of the total Moroccan workforce.

Despite its strong social dimension, the sector needs to address challenges inherent to informal labor.

Handicrafts so far have 389,000 craftsmen registered in the national register and 641,000 benefiting from social security fund CNSS.

Handicrafts represent 10% of all tourist spending in Morocco. Tourism in general represents up to 7% of Morocco’s GDP.

Morocco’s tourism has turned the Covid 19 page, breaking a new record with the arrival of 14.5 million tourists last year, up 34% from 2022.

The milestone shows a 12% increase compared to 2019 when Morocco attracted 13 million tourists.