Morocco's tourism to boom on projects, World Cup
Tourism fetched Morocco record revenues in 2024 and the North African Arab nation expects a surge in the next few years as projects gain pace for the 2030 World Cup.
Nearly 17.4 million tourists from the oil-rich Gulf, Europe and other countries visited Morocco in 2024, the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy said in a report published by Morocco's daily Hespress this week.
Revenues swelled by nearly seven percent over 2023 to reach around 112 billion Moroccan dirhams ($11.2 billion), the report said.
'It was an exceptional year for the tourism sector in Morocco…tourism revenues climbed to an unprecedented level…this boom was demonstrated mostly in December, when revenues increased by 11 percent over the same months of 2023,' it said.
It said the number of tourists in 2024 was nearly 20 percent higher than in 2023, adding that this 'demonstrated Morocco's ability to attract a larger variety of visitors.'
Fatim-Zahra Ammor, the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, said in the report that the improvement 'reflects Morocco's ability to adapt to new international trends and to tap its natural and cultural resources.'
Bracing for the 2030 games, Morocco said last week it would build 16 tourism villages and have already allocated nearly MAD188 million ($19 million) for phase 1 of the project that will cover various parts of the country.
In December, Sabah Akadir and other Moroccan newspapers said Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris is leading a group of local and UAE investors in a project to develop a large tourism project on Morocco's Western Atlantic coast.
The investment will include hotels, resorts, and other tourist attractions with the aim of boosting the country's tourism industry, the paper said.
The consortium, which includes Sawiris' company Orascom Investment, the UAE-based Al Nowais Group, and Eastern Investment, has submitted a proposal to Morocco's Competition Council, it said.
It added that the project involves acquiring full ownership of the Moroccan company SAEMOG, which oversees the Essaouira Mogador coastal project.
The US hospitality giant Hilton also revealed plans in late 2024 to open nine new hotels in Morocco. The first hotel will be inaugurated in early 2025 and is based in the 250-metre-tall King Mohammed VI Tower in Sale city near Rabat.
According to Ministry data, the tourism sector contributed by nearly seven percent to GDP in 2023 and the level is projected to surge in 2030, when a record 26 million tourists are expected to visit.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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