Tourism receipts have appreciated at the end of January 2023, by 39% compared to their pre-crisis level (2019), to reach for the first time, during a month of January, more than 8.2 billion dirhams (MMDH), according to the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasting (DEPF).
Year-on-year, these revenues have strengthened by 628.4%, instead of a decline of 56% a year earlier, said the DEPF in its recent note of conjuncture.
And note that a framework agreement for the deployment of the strategic roadmap of tourism 2023-2026 was signed during the month of March. This roadmap aims, by 2026, to attract 17.5 million tourists, reach 120 billion in foreign exchange earnings, create 80,000 direct jobs and 120,000 indirect, in addition to repositioning tourism as a key sector in the national economy. This roadmap is endowed with a budget of 6.1 MMDH.
The number of tourist arrivals at the destination “Morocco” has strengthened by 13.6% in January 2023, after increases of 16% in December, 10.1% in November and 15.1% in October 2022, according to the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasting (DEPF).
This improvement was driven by a sustained growth in arrivals of Moroccans residing abroad – MRE (+45.4%), mitigated, however, by the withdrawal of those of foreign tourists of 7.2%, after +3.5% a month earlier, explains the DEPF in its recent note of conjuncture.
In January 2022, the number of tourist arrivals had fallen compared to January 2019 by 98.6%, in connection with the closure of national borders to counter new variants of the corona virus.
As for overnight stays in classified accommodation establishments (EHC), they continue their positive trend compared to their pre-pandemic level (2019) for the second consecutive month, showing an increase of 2.1% at the end of January 2023, after +1.4% in the month of December 2022 and a decline of 81.1% at the end of January 2022. This change covers the joint effect of a 12% increase in resident nights and a 2% decrease in nonresident nights.
