Morocco expects to break a new record in the tourism sector in 2024, as it expects the arrival of 16 million tourists this year, while anticipating positive results for the city of Marrakech, the country's leading tourist destination, which was affected a year ago by the tragic earthquake that caused almost 3,000 deaths at the time.
In 2023, the Maghreb country recorded a record with the arrival of 14.5 million tourists, and in the first seven months of 2024, the country recorded a new record of 10 million visitors, i.e. 1.3 million more people than in the same period in 2023, according to data provided to EFE by the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism.
Tourism in Marrakech, which was one of the localities affected by the strong earthquake that struck several mountainous provinces in central Morocco on September 8, 2023, causing nearly 3,000 deaths and more than 5,000 injuries, suffered a 3% drop in overnight stays in hotel establishments in September last year.
But the sector recovered later, and in July 2024, Marrakech recorded an 8.5% increase in overnight stays compared to the same period last year.
Following the earthquake, the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism indicated that it had carried out a series of actions such as assessing the damaged hotel establishments and launching an international communication campaign called "Marrakech Forever" to promote the ochre city as a safe destination.
"The way our country has reacted to the earthquake demonstrates our exceptional resilience and our ability to turn adversity into opportunity," said the Moroccan Minister of Tourism, Fatima Zahra Ammor.
