The Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasts (DEPF) said that the activity of the tourism sector shows promising prospects for this year, due in particular to the improvement of the epidemiological situation in Morocco.
Without its March economic report, the DEPF under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, indicates that “the prospects seem more favorable for the year 2022, following the improvement of the epidemiological situation in Morocco and the implementation of various programs and measures, including those relating to the reopening of national borders and the emergency program granted by the government to support the sector in the amount of 2 billion dirhams”.
And to add that the tourism sector ended 2021 with a positive evolution of its main indicators (overnight stays and arrivals), despite the closure of national borders from the last month of this year.
To this end, the DEPF recalls that the flow of arrivals to the Moroccan destination increased by 34% at the end of 2021, for a total of more than 3.7 million tourists. This development resulted from the increase in arrivals of Moroccans residing abroad (MRE) by 77.9%, against a drop in those of foreign tourists by 8.8%, after a drop of 76.7% and 80% a year earlier. Suffering for the second consecutive year from the effects of the pandemic crisis, the total number of these arrivals fell by 71.2% compared to their pre-crisis level (end of 2019), after -78.5% at the end of 2020.
Regarding overnight stays in classified accommodation establishments, these firmed up by 30.7% year-on-year, at the end of the first eleven months of 2021. Thus, their drop compared to their pre-crisis level eased to -63.5% at the end of November 2021, after -72.1% a year earlier.
Moreover, despite the sharp drop recorded by tourist receipts in January 2022 (-58.6%), due to the closure of national borders throughout this month, the evolution of activity in the sector has more favorable announcement for the year 2022 since the reopening of the national borders on February 7.
Indeed, the number of passengers received at national airports during the period from February 7 to 28 is around 660,045 passengers, 50% of whom are international travellers. The DEPF points out that international passenger traffic by air recovered 72% of its level during the same period of 2019.
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