Morocco's tourism indicators retrieve pre-pandemic levels by end of July 2022

After two slow years due to COVID-19, Morocco is regaining its touristic destination appeal, with an in-mass return of international tourists and Moroccans living abroad (MRE).

Despite the increase in airfares to Morocco, tourists from all over the world are once again choosing the Kingdom to spend their summer vacations this year, as sector indicators prove.

Tourism indicators recorded scores significantly closer to their pre-crisis level in the second quarter of 2022, while tourism revenues exceeded their 2019 level, according to a recent note from the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasts (DEPF).

During the months of June and July 2022, Morocco welcomed a total of 3.2 million tourists, including 65% in July with more than 2 million arrivals.

This exceptional performance has allowed to recover 100% of the arrivals of June and July 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

The Kingdom’s airports have recorded a volume of commercial traffic of 9,813,316 passengers through 89,648 airport movements for all airports, according to the National Office of Airports (ONDA) by the end of July 2022.

Again, at the end of July, Morocco’s airports continue to show largely positive recovery rates compared to the same period of 2019, hosting 70% of passengers and 75% of airport movements, says the Office.

This recovery is reflected in all other indicators, including the number of overnight stays, which totaled 3.8 million nights for June and July 2022.

In terms of foreign exchange earnings of the sector, some MAD 27.3 billion were generated during the first half of 2022, making up an exceptional recovery rate of 81% of 2019, given the closure of borders during the first 5 weeks of the year 2022. The month of June alone accounts for about 25% of these revenues.

The massive influx of Moroccans living abroad during this summer was considered a breath of fresh air and an opportunity to revitalize the national economy, particularly the tourism sector.

The presence of the diaspora is concretely noted in several cities of the Kingdom, particularly during this summer period. This influx is due in particular to the smooth running of the Marhaba operation, facilitating the transit of MREs between Spain and Morocco.

A total of 32 ships have been mobilized on all the maritime lines linking Moroccan ports to Spanish, French and Italian ports. These ships have a total capacity of about 478,000 passengers and 123,000 cars, through 571 weekly trips.