Morocco’s Tourism Revenues Increased by 90.1% Between June-July

Rabat – Morocco’s Department of Studies and Financial Forecasts (DEPF) announced a significant improvement in Morocco’s tourism sector following several months of crisis.

DEPF said that the gradual reopening of national borders beginning June 15  has been beneficial to the sector, especially during Operation Marhaba.

Morocco relaunched Operation Marhaba in June of this year, an annual initiative that facilitates the return of Moroccans residing abroad for summer vacation.

In 2020, Morocco suspended the operation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

DEPF said that tourism revenues increased by 90.1% from June to July, following a 77% decline from the same period last year.

The number represents an increase of 15.2%  during the month of June and 144.2% during the month of July in 2021.

According to Morocco’s data, 341,000 travelers arrived in the North African country in June against 6,600 arrivals in June 2020.

The number includes 29.6% of tourists from other countries.

The number of arrivals in Morocco increased by about 410,000 arrivals during the second quarter of 2021, compared to 8,000 arrivals during the same period in 2020.

DEPF also noted an increase in the total number of overnight stays in classified hotels.

The number of night stays exceeded 689,000 against 49,000 a year earlier.

The total number of overnight stays amounted to nearly 1.4 million in the second quarter of 2021, against 189,000 in the same period in 2020.

The tourism sector experienced a crisis due to COVID-19. In 200 in March, Morocco suspended all flights and closed borders as part of the measures to limit the spread of the pandemic.

Several months following the lockdown in the country, Morocco permitted special flights to operate to help stranded tourists and diaspora leave Morocco.

In June 2021, the Moroccan government announced that special flights would be in operation to facilitate diaspora members’ arrival in Morocco as part of the Marhaba operation.

DEPF reported that the tourism revenue fell by 58.1% to $978 million (MAD 8.7 billion) at the end of June of this year.

DEPF acknowledged that the tourism revenues increased by 15.2% in June.

The increase was due to the gradual reopening of borders.