Tourist arrivals in Morocco is up by 8%
Some 5 million tourists have visited Morocco over the first half of 2009, an 8 % rise on the same period last year, the Tourism department has said.
French tourists topped the list with 1.94 million (+8%) followed by Spaniards with 1.11 million (+14 %) and Belgians with 291,000 (+16%), the German (176,000, +8 %), the Dutch (163,000, +15 %), the British (154,000, -13 %) and the Italians (130,000, +10 %).
The rise had no impact on the number of overnight stays which slipped by 2% to reach some 9.5 million, while the occupancy rate reached 41%, against 45% last year. Over the reporting period, travel receipts have fallen 14.4%, the Tourism Department said.
Morocco has allocated MAD 300 million for a marketing campaign to promote the country’s ailing tourism sector. Earlier this year, Morocco had launched a new strategy Dubbed “Cap 2009″ and the MAD 550-million plan was set aside with tactical measures designed to alleviate the impact of the financial crisis on this vital sector.
In news of interest to foreign property investors, The African Development Bank (AfDB) decided to grant Morocco a loan of MAD euro 240 million to upgrade the country’s airport infrastructures. The loan concerns to open up the domestic market to competition, and strengthen and modernizing transport networks in Casablanca, Fez, Agadir, Marrakech and Rabat, airports, which handle the bulk of air traffic to and from Morocco, said the AfDB in a press release.
Popularity: 17% [?]
