Morocco maintains its position as a popular destination for French tourists, recording 1.84 million arrivals in 2018.
Rabat – Data from Morocco’s Tourism Observatory Office shows French tourists as the main market for tourism in Morocco, representing 27.6% of the total foreign tourists during 2018.
Morocco recorded 1.84 million arrivals of French tourists, registering a growth of 14% compared to 2017.
Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported that the number of French tourists decreased between 2010 and 2016. The figures, however, started to increase since 2017 with an average annual growth rate of 0.1% between 2010 and 2018.
The observatory office said that Morocco’s weather and its diversity are the key factors in attracting French tourists.
The data shows that 23% of French tourists come to Morocco after googling the North African country and its tourism. Others, who represent 21% are inspired by their previous experience in Morocco.
Surveys, such as “Tourism Demand Monitoring” show that 76% of French tourists organized their trip to Morocco through booking websites, while 21% through a travel agency.
According to the statistics, 72% of French tourists, who visited Morocco before, spent their holiday in classified hotels.
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Culture, museums, and the history of Morocco are key elements for more than 34% of French students, who make cultural visits to Morocco.
The data also shows that 79.1% of French tourists said they were satisfied with their experience in Morocco.
French tourists spent MAD 9.8 billion in Morocco by the end of 2017, representing an increase of 8.89% compared to the same period in 2016.
The office of tourism said that the average spending per person per night has increased from MAD MAD 751 in 2016 to MAD 813 in 2017.
In August, Moroccan Tourism Observatory has reported that more than five million tourists visited Morocco in the first half of 2019. The number represents a 6.6 % increase compared to the same period last year.
The same data shows an increase in arrivals from tourists from several countries, particularly France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
Key markets include Italy, with an increase of 12 %, France (9%), Spain (8%), German (8%).