Rabat – The gross domestic product (GDP) derived from tourism in Morocco amounted to MAD 66.9 billion in 2016, representing an increase of 5 percent compared with 2.8 percent in 2015, according to a report by the High Commission for Planning (HCP).
HCP said that the tourism sector’s contribution to national GDP reached 6.6 percent in 2016 against 6.5 percent in 2015. Tourism production amounted to MAD 100.8 billion in 2016 compared with MAD 96.1 billion in 2015, representing a growth rate of 4.9 percent.
The added value of tourism moved from MAD 50.2 to 52.9 billion, registering a growth of 5.3 percent. Domestic tourism consumption amounted to MAD 114.8 billion in 2016 against MAD 110.3 billion in 2015, representing an increase of 4.1 percent.
This growth is the result of a 2.5 percent increase in domestic consumption of tourism receipts, which saw a significant increase (MAD 75.4 billion in 2015 to MAD 77.3 billion in 2016).
Domestic and outbound tourism consumption moved from MAD 34.9 billion to MAD 37.5 billion. The share of inbound tourism in domestic consumption was 67.3 percent in 2016 against 68.4 percent in 2015, while domestic and outbound tourism reached 32.7 percent in 2016 instead of 31.6 percent in 2015, said the HCP.
Earlier this month, Mohammed Sajid, Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Crafts and Social Economy, said that tourism sector recorded MAD 64.2 million in foreign exchange earnings, with the number of tourists increasing from 9.3 million to 10.3 million between 2010 and 2016.
The minister also stressed the importance of tourism as a horizontal sector requiring the convergence of public policies and the involvement of all sectors to make it a priority. Sajid emphasized the role of tourism in economic development, as it is the second largest contributor to national GDP.
