August is a month that sees a lot of tourists every year, and 2023 was no exception. Latest statistics from the Tourism Observatory indicate positive momentum in the sector, with 1.5 million travelers crossing the Kingdom's border crossings, an increase of 14% compared to the previous year. The top five countries of origin are France (+21% vs. 2022), Spain (+16%), the United Kingdom (+12%), the United States (+23%), and Italy (+16%).
Taking a broader look, the first eight months of 2023 saw a 49% increase in arrivals. Special being given going to markets like Germany (+100%) and Spain (+84%).
The four main airports in Morocco, including Marrakech-Menara, Mohammed V located in Casablanca, Agadir Al Massira, and Tangier Ibn Battouta, received a total of 623,000 tourists in August, accounting for 42% of the total tourist arrivals. The airports demonstrated varying performances, with Tangier Ibn Battouta and Marrakech-Menara showing the best results, with a 24% and 19% increase, respectively, compared to August 2021. Mohammed V airport showed a 5% increase, while Agadir Al Massira recorded a 1% increase.
The length of a tourist's stay significantly reflects a destination's appeal. In August 2023, classified properties saw an overall 11% increase in overnight stays. Marrakech, the ochre city, and Casablanca, the economic capital, were the winners with 22% growth. Extrapolating to the first eight months of the year, the growth was even more impressive, reaching 53%. This increase was mostly due to non-resident tourists, with an 87% increase. Despite the growth in tourist arrivals and overnight stays, foreign currency travel receipts saw an 11% decline in August 2023 compared to the previous year. This was amounting to 14.1 billion dirhams. However, the year-to-date at the end of August showed an improvement of 32.5% compared to last year, reaching 71.4 billion dirhams.