13 million tourists visited Morocco in 2019, which represents an increase of 5.2% compared to the previous year, according to data published by the Tourism Observatory.
Most visitors arrived in the country from France and Spain. The number of tourists from both markets increased by 6%. Regarding the number of overnight stays, the authorities recorded a total of 25.2 million last year, which is 5% more than in 2018.
Most travelers who visited Morocco-based their holiday in the city of Marrakech or Agadir, which have been the most popular destinations for several years. The two cities alone account for 57% of overnight stays in the country. The data do not include the stays of visitors booking their accommodation through online platforms like Airbnb. Actual numbers are thus much higher.
Morocco also registered a 7.7% increase in the tourism expenditure, adding 78.6 billion dirhams (about 7.6 billion US dollars) to the budget last year.
Although the tourism industry continues to grow continuously in Morocco, the figures are still far from the ambitious goals set in the “Vision 2020” plan of the authorities. The official strategy expects to attract 20 million visitors by the end of 2020.
Experts believe that Morocco has been able to hold on its own despite issues such as regional instability in the Arab world, terrorist threats, and epidemics. However, the competition is getting harder as more and more destinations on the Mediterranean coast offer similar services for comparable prices.