Tourism: Morocco's big bet for 2023
Tourism in Morocco in 2022 was consolidated as the second best in both the African continent and the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa Region), second only to Egypt, according to the USNews ranking. The Kingdom is a Muslim country located in the northwest wing of the African continent, with its coastline washed by both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Less than an hour's ferry ride from Spain, Morocco is a unique blend of Arab, Berber, African and European cultural influences. In addition, the Kingdom is considered the "Gateway to Europe", making it one of the 40 countries with the highest tourism impact in the world.
The "Connect 2023" conference, held in Tangier until 24 February, provided an overview of all the major projects undertaken by Morocco to develop the tourism and aviation industries. The Connect 2023 conference, which concluded in Tangier, once again brought Morocco to the attention of key aviation players and travel professionals. Les Inspirations Eco listed two areas in which Morocco operates in the Friday 24 February edition. According to indicators reported by several national officials in charge of these strategic sectors, the Moroccan kingdom is on the verge of matching its performance before the COVID-19 crisis and is even doing better than during the pandemic period.
Adel El Fakir, general manager of ONMT (Moroccan National Tourism Office), said: "By the end of 2022, the number of airlines in Morocco has surpassed pre-crisis levels. Last year, the number of tourists also reached 10.9 million. Rabat intends to take a step forward by highlighting its new iconic tourist attractions". The projected target for 2023 in capacity is 8.2 million seats. To this end, a series of agreements and partnerships have recently been signed between the ONMT and several airlines. This will see the launch of 35 new routes serving eight Moroccan destinations by the summer of 2023 in partnership with ten companies.
After two years of limits due to COVID-19, demand for hotels at the end of the year was strong, reaching pre-pandemic levels. The good news never stopped coming to the Alawi kingdom. Since February, the Moroccan government has announced the opening of airspace under pressure from numerous experts and economic operators, a fact that subsequent data have backed up. Moreover, this year the Moroccan national team made history by becoming the first African or Arab country to reach the semi-finals of the world's biggest football tournament, the World Cup, and as a result the country's growing popularity has spurred efforts to revive the tourism industry in the wake of the COVID-19 economic crisis.
A report published in early December last year by Morocco's state-owned Al-Oula highlighted the positive impact of the World Cup on the country's attractiveness as an international tourism hub. A tourism report in Fez, one of Morocco's cultural capitals, shows an increase in tourist activity since the end of the World Cup. "The national team has really helped improve its image and the image of the country," Aziz Labar, president of the Fes Regional Tourism Organisation, told Al-Oula. Morocco aims to pick up the pace by highlighting its new iconic tourist attractions. The projected target for 2023 in capacity is 8.2 million seats.
"To this end, a series of agreements and partnerships have recently been signed between the ONMT and several airlines. Thus, 35 new routes serving eight Moroccan destinations will be launched by the summer of 2023 in partnership with ten companies. For its part, the National Airports Office (ONDA) has launched an ambitious programme to increase airport capacity, focusing on service quality and safety requirements. The country's airport network currently has a capacity of 39 million passengers per year and is expected to grow further," said Habiba Laklalech, director general of the agency.
ONDA mobilised an amount of around 4 billion dirhams in 2023 to support the growth of the activity of the airports of Marrakech, Agadir and Tangier. Habiba Laklalech, as director of the agency, stressed that the "Envol 2025" investment plan aims to support the development of tourism. Objective 2030: 60 million passengers. In addition to protecting and preserving Europe's traditional tourist markets, the focus is now on the massive influx of tourists from Asia, especially China. "COVID-19 has certainly slowed the momentum of travel links with the Chinese market, but air travel and tourism managers can catch up," the publication concluded.
