La Copa del Mundo promueve el turismo en Marruecos

Morocco's post-COVID tourism economic recovery is receiving a major boost following the country's historic performance at the World Cup. Morocco's impressive results at the World Cup in Qatar attracted the attention of fans around the world, and Morocco became one of the most searched keywords on search engine such as Google and Yahoo. Morocco made history this year by becoming the first African or Arab country to reach the semi-final of the world's biggest football competition. The country's growing popularity helped contribute to efforts to revive the tourism sector in the wake of the COVID-19 economic crisis. 

A report published earlier this week 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 report focusing on tourism in Fez, one of Morocco's cultural capitals, shows an increase in tourism activity following the end of the FIFA World Cup. "The national team has really helped to improve its image and the image of the country," Aziz Labar, president of the Fes Regional Tourism Board, told Al-Oula. The increase in tourism activity has been of particular concern to booking agencies, as they reported an increase in hotel bookings following the World Cup. 

The World Cup influence is particularly evident in Fez, a city known for its maritime architecture and centuries-old palaces and schools. Fez is home to historic religious schools, such as the 14th-century Bou Inania and Al Attarine, which bear witness to the history of Greater Morocco. Some tourists who visited the Alawite kingdom after the World Cup had never heard of the country, a tourism professional told Al-Oula, adding that some of them had heard of the country but were never encouraged to visit. Morocco's World Cup performance was like a massive marketing campaign, and now tourism is reaping the benefits. 

The favourable evolution of the country's epidemiological situation is key to the resumption of international flights. Rabat has begun to normalise the situation thanks to the resumption of international flights and the opening of borders. As a result, more and more tourists are arriving in the country in a more normal way. The travel industry appears to be recovering after months of a total shutdown in which it was barely functioning. Tourism is vital to Morocco's economy, accounting for 18.9% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019. 

The sector is a major source of foreign exchange in the country. At the end of October 2022, tourism revenues totalled $6.77 billion, a significant increase of 148.9% year on year in activities. The country recorded 7.7 million tourist arrivals and 13.3 million overnight stays in registered accommodation facilities during the first nine months of 2022. According to the National Airports Office (ONDA), more than 21,330 flights have arrived in Morocco during this period, which means that the situation has returned to normal after the epidemic. 

Thanks to this massive influx of tourists, the sector has been able to start recovering after more than two years of stagnation and non-revenue. The number of arrivals has led to an increase in foreign exchange earnings from tourism to 14.62 billion dirhams, compared to last year. The Moroccan government has already predicted that the sector will close this year on a strong note. The government expects more than 4.5 million people to visit the region by the end of the year. Hotel and flight bookings indicate that the tourist season is set to have a positive impact on the national economy.