New York – Morocco ranked African champion of international tourism in 2015.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) published its third annual continental tourism report on Wednesday, in which Morocco registered the highest number of international tourist arrivals in 2014.
According to the Africa Tourism Monitor 2015, a joint publication of the African Development Bank (AfDB), New York University Africa House, and the Africa Travel Association (ATA), for its second consecutive year, Morocco maintained its record of over 10 million tourist arrivals.
The North African country recorded 10.2 million international tourist arrivals in 2014 compared to 10.05 million in 2013.
Morocco ranked ahead of South Africa with 9.5 million tourists, Egypt with 9.1 million and Tunisia with 6.7 million international arrivals.
According to the African report, which studied tourists’ arrivals from March 2014 to March 2015, Morocco received 28 percent of international tourists who visited Africa.
South Africa was in second place with 24 percent of the totalnumber of arrivals, while Egypt took the third spot with 17 percent of Africa’s tourism, in the same period.
In terms of employment, Africa tourism generates 20.5 million jobs, including direct, indirect and induced types of employment supporting the travel and tourism industry, the report revealed.
Among Africa Tourism Monitor’s list of Top 10 African Countries for Total Employment (Direct, Indirect, Induced) in the Tourism Industry for 2014, Morocco ranked fourth place with 1.74 million jobs, ahead of South Africa (1.50 million).
Egypt ranked number one in tourism industry employment with 2.94 million jobs, followed by Ethiopia (2.29 million) and Nigeria (2.2 million).
Morocco’s leading tourism figures coupled with its top safety ratings have placed the North African country as one of the top travel destinations for tourists worldwide.
The French and British Foreign Ministries recommend Morocco in their list of safe countries for British and French nationals to visit.
Five-star accommodations, entertainment that meets and exceeds global standards, the uniqueness of its terrain, rich history, culture and hospitality par excellence are just some of the many qualities that place Morocco among leaders of the travel and tourism industry.
“These rankings mean that Morocco is becoming a full-fledged destination, highly competitive, but also a leader when it comes to innovative and sustainable solutions to tourism development issues,” Moroccan Minister of Tourism Lahcen Haddad said in a statement to Morocco World News.
The 2015 report was themed “Unlocking Africa’s Tourism Potential,” in terms of investment, sustainability, development, business partnerships, and economic growth.
Africa Tourism Monitor illustrates how the travel and tourism industry involves local communities to participate and thrive in these sectors.
The same report informed that international tourism in Africa is mainly driven by the United States (22 percent), the United Kingdom (19 percent) and France (17 percent), representing nearly 60 percent of the total of arrivals in 2015.
