Good prospects for Moroccan tourism? After a gloomy July marked by low influx of tourists, both domestic and foreign, all eyes and hopes are turned to the month of August.
Coco Park, the largest amusement park in Morocco, located in Meknes, was inaugurated on Wednesday by Fatim-Zahra Ammor, Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy.
The tourism sector is a source of wealth and employment in Morocco. At the end of June last year, Tourism Minister Fatima Zahra Ammor stated that tourism contributes 7% to the gross domestic product (GDP) and generates 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs.
The airline Ryanair , in partnership with the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT), launched a new base in Tangier on Tuesday, its fourth in Morocco. This was in the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, representatives of local authorities and tourism professionals.
Ryanair and Air Arabia are engaged in fierce competition in Morocco. The two airlines, authorized to operate domestic flights in the kingdom, are striving to dominate the local market by offering quality services at reduced costs.
The online booking platform, Booking.com continues to dictate its law to Moroccan hoteliers, as well as travel agencies, causing huge economic losses.
In collaboration with the Ministries of Tourism and Interior, the control services of the Foreign Exchange Office are conducting a large-scale audit of international transfers for the rental of tourist residences via the Airbnb platform.
Morocco’s tourism revenues continue their downward trend. After a drop of 905 million dirhams (-10.5%) in January, they plummeted by 1.06 billion dirhams (-6.7%) at the end of February. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals are showing an upward trend, with a 10% jump in January and 18% in February.
The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Transport and Logistics have clarified the alleged financial support granted to Ryanair to operate domestic flights in Morocco, the unfair competition with Royal Air Maroc and the payment in euros of domestic flights.
PJD (Party of Justice and Development) deputy Fatima Zahra Bata believes that the 14.5 million tourist arrivals in Morocco in 2023 represent a record figure, but do not reflect the low share of international tourists.
The Moroccan authorities claim to have carried out several actions to promote and strengthen domestic tourism in 2023.
Some 13.2 million people visited Morocco during the first eleven months of 2023, breaking the all-time record of 12.9 million tourists for the entire year of 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy.