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Rabat – A total of 6.5 million of tourists visited Morocco between January and July, representing an increase of 8 percent over the same period last year, reports Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
The number of foreign tourist arrivals increased by 13.5 percent, while the number of Moroccans residing abroad (MRE) who visited Morocco in the first seven months of 2017 saw an increase of 3 percent, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Tourism in July.
The increase was underpinned by the surge of the kingdom’s major tourism markets: Germany (11 percent), Holland (7 percent), Spain (6 percent), and Italy (6 percent).
The emerging tourism markets, which are maintaining their upward trend in Morocco, are China with a 406 percent increase, Japan (46 percent), South Korea (44 percent), Brazil (46 percent), and the United States of America with 23 percent.
Overnight stays in the kingdom’s classified hotels also saw an increase of 17 percent by the end of July compared to the same period in 2016.
The increase in overnight stays has been seen in all destinations in the kingdom, added the ministry.
Marrakech and Agadir have managed to maintain their position by registering an increase of 20 percent and 16 percent respectively in terms of overnight stays.
The other tourist destinations have also performed well, especially the cities of Fez and Tangier, which have registered increases of 23 and 38 percent respectively in terms of overnight stays.
Revenues generated by the tourist activity of non-residents in Morocco amounted to MAD 34.38 billion at the end of July, compared to MAD 32.97 in the same period of 2016, representing an increase of 4.3 percent.
During the month of July, the number of arrivals of tourists to border posts increased by 5.4 percent compared to the same period in 2016.
