Nearly 6 million tourists visited Morocco in Jan-May 2024- Minister

Morocco’s tourism sector is poised to outperform last year’s record with the arrival of 6 million tourists in the first five months of this year, tourism minister Fatima Ezzahra Ammour said.

The number of arrivals was 770,000 higher compared to the same period last year, as Morocco continues to attract international hotel brands to invest in the country, the minister told members of the Upper House.

In 2023, she said, 135 international hotels opened branches in Morocco, bolstering the country’s offer.

The minister, who is also in charge of handicrafts, noted that Moroccan craftsmen shed Covid-19 dust as the sector registered 11 billion dirhams in exports last year.

Tourism continues to represent 7% of Morocco’s GDP and employs 2.5 million people directly and indirectly, she said.

Morocco has a tourism promotion roadmap that aims to invest 6.1 billion dirhams to attract 17.5 million tourists in 2026 and 26 million tourists by 2030.

In two years the sector should be able to generate revenue worth 120 billion dirhams in hard currency, she said.