Rabat – Today marked the launch of a new direct air route between Tel Aviv’s David Ben Gurion and Essaouira by the Israeli company Arkia.
The flight, which is part of a memorandum of understanding between the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) and the Israeli carrier on July 18, will operate once a week.
The head of Morocco’s liaison office in Israel, Abderrahim Bayoudh as well as the mayor of the city and officials from David Ben Gurion airport.
The second largest airline in Israel, Arkia has emphasized its determination to set up a direct flight connecting Morocco and the Jewish state through 11,000 seats.
The flight inauguration is also part of ONMT’s efforts seeking to boost Morocco’s tourism industry.
Israel has been also seeking to boost the tourism industry, by encouraging more tourists – particularly from Morocco to visit Tel Aviv.
The number of Israeli tourists visiting Morocco increased from around 15,600 in the first half of 2019 to over 38,000 over the same period in 2023, the Israeli news outlet i24 News reported earlier this week quoting data compiled by the Moroccan Tourism Observatory.
The number represents an increase of 146% compared to 2019. It also signifies a 96% increase in arrivals in June compared to the same period in 2019.
Over 5,600 Israeli tourists visited Morocco in June, the statistics added.
Meanwhile, data from Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the increase in Israeli tourist visits to Morocco, attributing this development to the fact that Israelis received the most e-visas to the North African country since the program’s launch last year.
The data shows that Morocco issued 150,000 electronic visas out of 160,000 processed applications, with Israelis making up 55% of successful applicants.
