Morocco is experiencing the sweetest moment for four years in terms of tourism. Before the pandemic, the Alaouite kingdom had become one of the most popular destinations for French and Spanish tourists, which the arrival of COVID-19 put an end to. But three years following the pandemic that brought down world tourism, Morocco has once once more become a preferred destination for its two best European partners.
In 2021, Morocco welcomed just under 1.2 million foreign tourists, including half a million from France, the leader in visits to the Kingdom in a very marked way. This is followed by Spain – nearly 100,000 visitors -, Belgium – 65,000 -, the United Kingdom – 56,000 -, and the United States – 66,000 -. The figures, still decimated by the consequences of the pandemic, have increased sharply in 2022. The number of foreign tourists has risen to more than five million, including 1.5 million from France. However, the fastest growing country is Spain.
The recovery rate of tourism from Spain is 102%, according to the latest report from the ICEX office in Rabat. Not only has Spain increased the number of people who decide to visit Morocco tenfold compared to 2021, but it is the only European country whose number of tourists has increased even compared to data from the year before the pandemic. In 2019, 880,000 Spaniards traveled to Morocco, while in 2022 that number exceeded 900,000.
Only France, with the aforementioned 1.5 million tourists, accounts for the highest rate of tourism in the Kingdom, with 14% of the total. Spain, meanwhile, is in second place with 8%, followed by the United Kingdom with 480,000 tourists, or 4%. The most significant drop is that of Germany which, with 2% and only 171,000 tourists, is far from its figures of four years ago, when more than 400,000 Germans chose Morocco as a tourist destination.
However, Rabat does not want to stop its growth. In addition, this year it is expected to exceed the number of tourists who visited the Alaouite kingdom in 2019. The objective set by the country chaired by Aziz Akhanouch is to reach 17.5 million tourists and generate revenue of 11 billion euros in foreign currency. This idea is reinforced by the image of Morocco in the world, largely thanks to its sporting successes. The fourth place of the Atlas Lions at the World Cup in Qatar, as well as the joint bid with Spain and Portugal for the 2030 World Cup, reinforce the attractiveness of the Kingdom.
