Tourism revenue in Morocco rises 6.7% as 11.8 million tourists visit in first 8 months of 2024

Morocco's tourism industry has experienced a notable recovery in the first eight months of the current year, with a 6.7% increase in revenue as the kingdom welcomed 11.8 million tourists, according to the monthly report on foreign exchange indicators issued by the Foreign Exchange Office on Tuesday, October 1.

Tourism revenue reached 76.4 billion dirhams by the end of August, compared to 71.7 billion dirhams in the same period last year, the report stated. These figures reflect the continued recovery of the tourism sector over the past three years, after being severely impacted during the health crisis(COVID-19), with revenues falling to 24.6 and 20.5 billion dirhams in the first eight months of 2020 and 2021 respectively.

During a government council meeting on September 19, Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, Social and Solidarity Economy Fatima Zahra Ammor confirmed that the number of tourists who visited Morocco since the beginning of the year reached 11.8 million, an increase of 1.6 million compared to the same period in 2023.

A significant portion of this increase is attributed to the summer months, with the country seeing an influx of 4.4 million tourists in July and August, representing a 21% increase compared to the same period last year, Ammor noted.

In 2023, Morocco received 14.5 million tourists, contributing to foreign currency revenues of 105 billion dirhams. Bank Al-Maghrib expects tourism revenues to rise by 7.1% this year, reaching 112.2 billion dirhams, reflecting optimism about the future of the tourism sector in the kingdom.