Moroccan tourism industry has lots to rejoice about. Last year ended with a clear double-digit growth in both arrivals and overnight stays. At the end of December, the overall arrivals in the country reached 11,349,347, which is an increase of 10% compared to 2016. In December alone, arrivals reached more than 900 thousand.
According to preliminary figures released by the Ministry of Moroccan Tourism, the arrivals of Moroccans living abroad showed a rise of 5% (5.48 million), against 15% for foreign tourists (5.86 million).
The main source market was France. In 2017, 1.6 million French visitors spent their holiday in the country, which is an increase of 11% compared to 2016. The inflow from Germany increased by 27% and reached 331,185 visitors. Arrivals from Spain rose by 15%, resulting in 710,730 visitors.
In addition, the Moroccan tourism ministry reported a 15% increase of overnight stays (22 million) in 2017. The city of Marrakech recorded 7.7 million overnight stays. This is a rise of 17% compared to 2016. Agadir and Casablanca registered 5.4 million and 2.15 million overnight stays, respectively.
Tourism revenues have also improved significantly during December. They have shown a double-digit growth rate, recording a 38% increase compared to 2016. The revenues reached 5.32 billion MAD, according to the latest statistics.
National tourism generated revenues of 69.65 billion dirhams, an increase of 8.4% compared to 2016.