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Rabat – Tourism revenues in Morocco are continuing to recover from the effects of COVID-19, registering an increase of 123.3% over the past year, shows a new report from Morocco’s Directorate of Financial Studies and Previsions.
Revenues increased by more than 300% over the month of April and over 500% in March, culminating in a total amount of MAD 13.6 billion ($1.3 billion).
The amount is MAD 4 billion ($400 million) less than what was registered during the same period in 2019, showing a recovery rate of 79.7%.
For the months of March and April, the recovery rate was 91.2%, the report adds.
These numbers come after a very dry year for the tourism industry in 2021, mostly due to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read also: Morocco Presents Vision to Revitalize Tourism Sector
The number of tourists who have traveled to Morocco also quadrupled by the end of May, compared to the same period in 2021, rising from 500 thousand to 2.3 million.
Of those 2.3 million, 51% were foreign tourists while 49% were Moroccans living abroad visiting the country again.
The number of tourists remains down by almost 50% compared to the same period in 2019, however. The number is still aligned with the predictions of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which said international tourist arrivals this year would vary between 30% and 45% compared to 2019.
Since vaccines are now readily available and the threat of COVID-19 has been mitigated to an extent, Morocco has opened its borders to tourists and its citizens who live abroad, and also eased some of its health requirements around entering the country.
The North African country will also launch e-visas on July 10 for foreigners coming from 49 countries, easing the process of visiting the country in an effort to give the tourism sector a much-needed boost.
