São Paulo – The tourism sector in Morocco experienced significant growth at the beginning of this year. According to information published this Tuesday (4) by news outlet Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), the number of visitors that entered the country in February went up 10.6%, with overnight stays in hotels increasing 18.8%. The data is from the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism.
Hotel occupancy rates rose by five percentage points, reported the ministry. According to MAP, tourism has been registering positive results since November 2016.
The number of tourists rose from both the markets considered to be traditional to Morocco and those rated as emerging markets. Visitor numbers increased by 6% from France, 22% from Spain, 19% from Germany, and 7% from the United Kingdom.
Among “emerging” markets, there was an increase of 923% in the number of visitors from China, 82% from Russia, 62% from Japan, 32% from the United States, 20% from Canada and 17% from Africa.
In January and February, overnight stays in hotels climbed 14.8%, with the occupancy rate at 4%.
Some of the main tourist destinations in the country registered an increase in the number of visitors in the year’s first two months: Marrakech (17%), Agadir (19%), Fez (37%), Tangier (25%) and Casablanca (8%).
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
