Rabat – Morocco ranked fifth on the list of the top 20 travel destinations for French tourists in February 2023, French tourism-focused outlet L’Echo Touristique unveiled on Thursday in its monthly “Orchestra Barometer.”
The ranking indicated that the business volume from travel operations between France and Morocco jumped by an overwhelming 93% in February 2023 compared to the same time in 2022.
Morocco’s tourism sector, which had been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been showing signs of recovery.
Data from the Financial Studies and Forecasts Department (DEPF) showed that the North African country recorded more than 19 million overnight stays from both local and international tourists at the end of 2022. The figure represents a 75.2% rise compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Morocco’s Minister of Tourism Fatim Zahra Ammor celebrated the recent boost in the country’s tourism recovery.
“The tourism sector has shown good resilience and managed to resume its pre-COVID performance, thanks to a series of initiatives launched by the government to put tourist activity back on track with its achievements in the past,” Ammor said.
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In the same report, L’Echo Touristique showed that Greece (+37%) led the ranking as the most popular destination for French tourists, followed by Spain (-7%) and Metropolitan France (+2%).
Meanwhile, Tunisia (+98%) came in fourth place ahead of Morocco, while Egypt (+51%) and Italy followed in sixth and seventh position respectively.
The ranking noted that travel sales made by French tourists, in both physical and online agencies, for all the 20 listed destinations have increased by 21% compared to February 2022.
Given the tourism industry’s remarkable recovery in 2023, the ranking will no longer compare future data with that of pre-pandemic times, but with the year 2022 instead.
“In February 2022, [tourism] activity was already picking up, with an increase of 6% compared to February 2019, the last reference year before the [COVID-19] crisis,” explained the report.
