Morocco recorded a record number of tourist arrivals last year, nearly 14.5 million visitors, the Ministry of Tourism announced Thursday.
The ministry said, in a statement, that tourism “achieved a new historical achievement. Morocco received 14.5 million tourists during the year 2023, which represents remarkable progress, an increase of 34 percent compared to 2022.”
He added, “Despite the complex global geopolitical context, last December witnessed unprecedented demand, with an influx of 1.3 million tourists recorded.”
Morocco had achieved the previous record in the number of tourist arrivals in 2019 with 13 million people, but the Covid-19 pandemic affected this achievement.
The number of foreign visitors increased by about 41 percent compared to the previous year, and they constituted 49 percent of arrivals.
Moroccans residing abroad constituted 51 percent of the total number of tourists who visited the Kingdom last year, an increase of 27 percent compared to 2022.
The Ministry of Tourism considered that “this dynamic confirms Morocco's attractiveness as a preferred tourist destination.”
The Ministry and sector professionals in the Kingdom were waiting for it to recover this year and attract new markets, after the emergence of Morocco’s name in the Qatar 2022 Football World Cup.
European tourists usually constitute the largest proportion of foreign visitors arriving to the Kingdom.
Tourism is considered an essential sector in the Moroccan economy and contributes 7% to the gross domestic product.
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