Marruecos-Israel: récord en el sector turístico
The normalisation of relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and Israel has an impact on several high-potential sectors between the two countries, including tourism. "During these two years, our two respective countries have progressed a lot, politically, culturally and economically. There were also many Israeli tourists who came to visit Morocco, as well as official delegations. We have also signed several agreements in different areas. I think it's a very good start, and I'm looking forward to next year," diplomatic sources said.
The historical, cultural and religious ties between the two countries increased the flow of Israeli tourism to Morocco to a record level after the signing of the Abraham Accords. Tourism has grown significantly, from 39,900 tourists in 2019 to more than 200,000 tourists in 2022.
Since the two countries sealed the Abraham Accords, they are closer than ever, and are very good allies. In addition, the agreement has been signed by many other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Jordan and Kosovo. Morocco, however, is only the second African country to sign an agreement with the State of Israel. We note that Israel's support and knowledge of the Kingdom's intentions led to an increase in the number of meetings and visits organised by government officials from the two countries. Senior Moroccan officials also travelled to Israel, and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita paid an official visit to Israel on the occasion of the March 2022 Negev Summit.
The Peace Institute report also details a wide range of environmental and technological developments and other sectors, including artificial intelligence, energy, agriculture and new desert technologies.
Abraham Peace Institute President and CEO Robert Greenway explained that "Morocco and Israel share a vast cultural history, and a significant portion of Israelis are of Moroccan descent"; he also indicated that trade and cooperation have increased significantly in 2022, with clear areas of shared economic and security interest between the two countries."
AAPI Israel director Asher Fredman, on the other hand, sees "enormous potential" in Israeli-Moroccan-US trilateral relations and projects in the fields of agriculture, renewable energy, water, health and innovation.
This significant progress in 2022 has led to several regular flights directly between Israel and Morocco. In March, Royal Air Maroc launched its first direct flight between North Africa and Israel, becoming the first airline to offer flights between Israel and Casablanca. More than 17 weekly flights have been launched, and the aim is to attract more than 200,000 tourists. In addition, Royal Air Maroc and the Israeli airline "El Al Airlines" announced a code-share agreement; another agreement was signed in March with the Israeli private airline Israir to promote the Kingdom as a tourist destination for Israelis.
On the education front, several agreements were signed between Moroccan and Israeli universities, notably between the Mohammed VI University of Technology (UM6P) and Ben-Gurion University, and between the International University of Rabat (UIR) and Ben-Gurion University.
The Israeli market is therefore a strategic market for the Maghreb country as a destination with high growth potential, where approximately 8 million Israelis travel abroad each year. In addition, Israel has a strong Moroccan community that can now travel to its home country with direct flights.
