Over the past 2 years, Morocco has continued to emerge as an increasingly popular tourism destination. In general the sector is reported to be positive, cost advantageous and benefitting from a stable political situation and the emergence of new coastal destinations.
Morocco reported a 6% increase in arrivals in 2009 (8.34 million tourists in total). This is in some part due to increasing tourism numbers from Spain, the Arab countries, Italy, France and Belgium. Additional increases are expected in the next five years as total tourism investment is estimated to reach €7.2 bn.
Morocco’s economy grew by an estimated 5.3% in 2009 in spite of the global recession. It is said that the country has managed to lessen the impact of the crisis thanks to lower economic financing as seen in other Western locations. Morocco’s position is further strengthened by strong domestic demand, increased consumer credit and good purchasing power.
