The number of tourist arrivals rose to 6.5 million in the first six months of this year, up 21% compared to 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy.
"The upward trajectory begun by tourism since January 2023 is confirmed with the figures for June. At the end of June 2023, the number of arrivals stood at 6.5 million tourists, representing growth of 21% compared with 2019," said the Ministry in a brief on tourist arrivals.
In June, the volume of arrivals at border crossings reached almost 1.4 million tourists, or +25% compared to 2019, said the same source, noting that several markets contributed to this performance, including Spain (+79% vs. 2019), the UK (+23% vs. 2019), Portugal (+16% vs. 2019) and the Israeli market (+96% vs. 2019).
In terms of sector productivity, tourism, a major foreign currency earner, generated 41 billion dirhams in foreign currency travel receipts to the end of May 2023, i.e. an exceptional 42% increase compared with the same period in 2019.
These achievements, combined with offensive promotional actions, augur well for an exceptional summer season, explained the Ministry, pointing out that numerous partnerships have been signed with Tour-Operators and online travel agencies in order to secure 2.8 million customers for the 2023 summer season, i.e. twice the volume secured for summer 2019.
