Strong recovery in tourist activity recorded in the ocher city. The Regional Tourism Delegation in Marrakech announced a dramatic increase in arrivals at the end of May 2023, compared to the same period in 2019.
In May 2023 alone, the city of Marrakech reached 266,075 tourist arrivals, an increase of 63% compared to the same period of 2019, the reference year, according to the latest figures from the Regional Tourism Delegation.
Thus, these arrivals generated a total of 812,310 overnight stays, increasing by 11% compared to 2019 (731,810 overnight stays). As for the room occupancy rate, it rose by 23 points to reach 72% in May, largely surpassing the figures for the reference year which recorded solid performances.
Moreover, the main source markets turn out to be the United Kingdom (+56%), Spain (+41%), France (+39%), Belgium (+39%) and Italy ( +23%), according to the same source, specifying that the increase in arrivals during the month of May is notably attributable to the good performance recorded by nationals, i.e. +167%.
The Delegation informed that the greatest number of overnight stays were recorded in 5 and 4 star hotels, with a rate of 29% and 28% respectively. In addition, 75% of overnight stays were made by international tourism while the remaining 25% by national tourism.
At the same time, Marrakech Menara International Airport also experienced an increase in air traffic during the month of May, with a volume of commercial passenger traffic of 624,029, against 493,126 passengers in May 2019, i.e. a growth of 27%. .
Moreover, this strong recovery in arrivals is accompanied by a considerable increase in the volume of tourist investment. According to the same source, during the first five months of 2023, 159 projects relating to tourist accommodation were authorized, with a bedding capacity of 7,850 beds and a total investment amount of 538 million dirhams, allowing the creation of more than 5,000 direct jobs.
Similarly, the ocher city saw the opening of 25 new classified hotels as well as the creation of at least 15 new travel agencies and 12 tourist transport companies as part of the continuity of this dynamic and with a view to strengthening the sector more, especially after the several months of suffering suffered following the pandemic crisis.