From January to November 2020, Moroccan tourism revenues declined by 51% as a result of the consequences of the health crisis. The fall was flattened by 76%, a month earlier, due to the arrivals of Moroccans from around the world, said the Ministry of Finance.
Morocco recorded only 142,000 tourists, during the first eleven months of 2020, a drop of 82% compared to the same period last year. The majority of arrivals were Moroccans living abroad. During the peak summer season, the drop was 98% among foreign tourists and 56% among residents.
Regarding the job loss, more than 35% of tourism workers lost their jobs and income. According to a survey, the tourism revenues of Moroccan companies working in the sector declined by 80% on average. In addition, Moroccan airspace has remained closed, except for a few exceptional flights that tourists with hotel reservations are allowed to take.
Furthermore, Morocco's tourism revenues fell by 33.2% during the first six months of 2020, equivalent to a loss of 11.1 billion dirhams, not forgetting that the tourism sector recorded a 7% drop in value-added in the first quarter of 2020, said the Department of Studies and Financial Forecasts of Morocco (DEPF) in its new report.
Compared to an increase of 2.9% recorded in the first quarter of 2019, the difference represents a regression in terms of turnover. Thus, the Kingdom's tourism revenues fell by 71.7% in the second quarter of 2020, which is worth a loss of 11.8 billion dirhams.