Proximity, historical relationships... For various reasons, Morocco remains, again this year, and undoubtedly "
since tourism appeared there
", the preferred destination "
par excellence
" of the French outside Europe.
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In 2023, 4.88 million French travelers entered Morocco, the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) tells us.
France thus represents the leading tourist market for the Shereef kingdom, ahead of Spain and the United Kingdom.
“
We even exceeded our figures for 2019, our reference year before the Covid crisis
,” adds the ONMT, interviewed by Le Figaro.
Of the 14.5 million visitors recorded in 2023 - a record year for the country - the French therefore represent more than a third of arrivals: 33.6%.
As for the cities most visited, by the French as by other travelers, it is always, in order, Marrakech, Agadir then Tangier, one of the rising values.
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A historic milestone
This is a “
new historic milestone
” reached by Morocco with 14.5 million visitors in 2023, “
or 34% more than in 2022
”, indicated on January 24 an official press release from the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism. Moroccan craftsmanship.
The sector recorded one million more visitors than the objective set by the government in its 2023-2026 roadmap which was 13.5 million for last year, marked by the dramatic earthquake (6.9 on the Richter scale, the most violent in 120 years) which ravaged part of the west of the Kingdom on the night of September 8 to 9.
French tour operators had agreed to commercial flexibility by accepting that their customers who wished to postpone their departure.
The number of foreign tourists increased by 41% year-on-year, and represented 49% of overall arrivals, up 3 points year-on-year.
Moroccans living abroad (MRE) made up the rest of the arrivals (51% of the total), a figure which saw a surge of 27% in a single year.
For the authorities, “
this dynamic confirms the attractiveness of Morocco as a tourist destination of choice, meeting the expectations of both the Moroccan diaspora and international travelers
”.
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