Tourism in Morocco reported positive numbers for January. The number of tourists increased by 10% (to 652,000 visitors) compared to the same period in 2016, according to the Moroccan Tourism Observatory.
The number of foreign tourists (TES) increased by 13%, while the number of arrivals by Moroccans living abroad (MRE) increased by 7% - these are the statistics published by the Moroccan Tourism Observatory for the month of January 2017, established through the use of data provided by the Directorate General of National Security.
The Kingdom's most important foreign tourism markets started off the year 2017 with “very positive” results, the Observatory indicated, stating that there had been a 13% increase for Spain, 8% for Germany and the Netherlands as well as a 6% increase for France and Belgium.
Moreover, the report, showed that there were “very encouraging” signs where other countries were concerned regarding the number of tourists, namely, the United States (+29%), South Korea (+41%), Russia (+84%) and Japan (+55%), added the same source.
Similarly, the Observatory announced that the total number of nights spent in accredited tourist accommodation establishments had risen by 11% in January 2017, relative to 2016's numbers, due to a 21% increase in the number of non-resident tourists and an 8% decrease for residents.
The Observatory stated that, in terms of geography, the three primary tourist destinations are Agadir, Casablanca, and Marrakech, accounting for 72% of the total number of nights spent, which corresponds to an increase of 20%, 7%, and 6% respectively. The Observatory also added that the cities of Fès and Tanger recorded a 27% increase boosting tourism in Morocco substantially.
As far as room occupancy is concerned, the occupancy rate increased in January 2017 by two points over the same month in the previous year, representing a 34% rise.
During the same month, tourism revenues reached 4 billion dirhams, a 2.9% increase relative to the same period the year before, according to the same source.