Tourism in MOROCCO

Tourism in Morocco
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Tourism in Morocco
Tourism in Morocco is well developed, maintaining a strong tourist industry focused

on the country's coast, culture, and history. Morocco has been one of the most
politically stable countries in North Africa, which has allowed tourism to develop. The
Moroccan government created a Ministry of Tourism in 1985. [1] Tourism is considered
as one of the main foreign exchange sources in Morocco and since 2013 it had the
highest number of arrivals out of the countries Africa. [2]. In 2018, 12.3 million tourists
were reported to have visited Morocco[3].
Contents
 1History of tourism
 2Tourism industry
 3Plan Azur
 4Tourist attractions
o 4.1UNESCO World Heritage Sites
o 4.2Fez
o 4.3Marrakesh
o 4.4Tangier
o 4.5El Jadida
 5Safety
 6See also
 7References
 8External links
History of tourism[edit]
Tourism in Sahara
In the second half of the 1980s and the early 1990s, between 1 and 1.5 million
Europeans visited Morocco. Most of these visitors were French or Spanish, with
about 100,000 each from Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands. Tourists mostly
visited large beach resorts along the Atlantic coast, particularly Agadir. About 20,000
people from Saudi Arabia visited, some of whom bought holiday homes. Receipts
from tourism fell by 16.5% in 1990, the year the Gulf War began. In 1994, Algeria
closed its border with Morocco after the Marrakech attack, which caused the number
of Algerian visitors to fall considerably; there were 70,000 visitors in 1994 and 13,000
in 1995, compared to 1.66 million in 1992 and 1.28 million in 1993. In 2017, there
were 10.3 million tourist arrivals, compared with about 10.1 million in 2016, a 1.5%
year over year increase. 30% of the tourists were one of the 3.8 million Moroccans
living abroad. Marrakech itself had over 2 million visitors in 2017. [4]d
Tourism industry[edit]
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Tourist receipts in 2007 totaled US$7.55 billion. Tourism is the second largest

foreign exchange earner in Morocco, after the phosphate industry. The Moroccan
government is heavily investing in tourism development [5]. A new tourism strategy
called Vision 2010 was developed after the accession of King Mohammed VI in
1999. The government has targeted that Morocco will have 10 million visitors by
2010, with the hope that tourism will then have risen to 20% of GDP. A large
government sponsored marketing campaigns to attract tourists advertised Morocco
as a cheap and exotic, yet safe, place for European tourists.
Morocco's relatively high number of tourists has been aided by its location, tourist
attractions, and relatively low price. Cruise ships visit the ports
of Casablanca and Tangier. Morocco is close to Europe and attracts visitors to its
beaches. Because of its proximity to Spain, tourists in southern Spain's coastal areas
take one- to three-day trips to Morocco. Marrakesh and Agadir are the top two
destinations in the country[3]. Air services between Morocco and Algeria have been
established, many Algerians have gone to Morocco to shop and visit family and
friends. Morocco is relatively inexpensive because of the devaluation of
the dirham and the increase of hotel prices in Spain. Morocco has an excellent road
and rail infrastructure that links the major cities and tourist destinations with ports
and cities with international airports. Low-cost airlines offer cheap flights to the
country.
Plan Azur[edit]
The "Plan Azur", is a large-scale project initiated by King Mohammed VI, is meant to
internationalise Morocco. The plan provides for creating six coastal resorts for
holiday-home owners and tourists (five on the Atlantic coast and one on the
Mediterranean), the Daily Telegraph noted. The plan also includes other large-scale
development projects such as upgrading regional airports to attract budget airlines,
and building new train and road links. Thus, the country achieved an 11% percent
rise in tourism in the first five months of 2008 compared with the same period last
year, it said, adding that French visitors topped the list with 927,000 followed by
Spaniards (587,000) and Britons (141,000). Morocco, which is close to Europe, has
a mix of culture and the exotic that makes it popular with Europeans buying holiday
homes.[15]
Tourist attractions[edit]
The Atlas mountains Sand dunes in Morocco Malabata Coast in Tangier
Old defense walls of Essaouira Swany water reserve in Meknes

Bou Inania Madrasa in Fes
Ifrane, "Morocco's Switzerland" The beach and Kasbah at Agadir
The country's attractions can be divided into seven regions: [6]
 The four Imperial cities — the four historical capital cities of

Morocco: Fez, Marrakesh, Meknes and Rabat
 Marrakech
 Casablanca — Morocco's largest city; home of the Hassan II Mosque, which
has the world's tallest minaret at 656 feet[7]
 Tangier and the surrounding area
 Ouarzazate — a noted film-making location; the fortified village (ksar) of Ait
Benhaddou west of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site[8][9]
 Agadir and its beach resorts
 Tarfaya and its beach resorts
 Fez – Morocco's second largest city and it is the science and spiritual capital
of Morocco.[10] It contains an old area which is considered as the biggest area in
the world where vehicles can't get in. It is also the home of "Al Qarawyien" the
world's oldest university.
While Morocco was a French Protectorate (from 1912 to 1956) tourism was focused
on urban areas such as the Mediterranean cities of Tangier and Casablanca.
Tangier attracted many writers, such as Edith Wharton, Jack Kerouac, Paul Bowles,
and William S. Burroughs. There was a period of beach resort development at
places such as Agadir on the Atlantic coast in the 1970s and 1980s. [11]
Tourism is increasingly focused on Morocco's culture, such as its ancient cities. The
modern tourist industry capitalizes on Morocco's ancient Roman and Islamic sites,
and on its landscape and cultural history. 60% of Morocco's tourists visit for its
culture and heritage.[11]
Agadir is a major coastal resort and has a third of all Moroccan bed nights. It is a
base for tours to the Atlas Mountains.[6] Other resorts in north Morocco are also very
popular.[12] Casablanca is the major cruise port in Morocco, and has the best
developed market for tourists in Morocco. [6]
As of 2006, activity and adventure tourism in the Atlas and Rif Mountains are the
fastest growth area in Moroccan tourism. These locations have excellent walking and
trekking opportunities from late March to mid-November. [11] The government is
investing in trekking circuits. They are also developing desert tourism in competition
with Tunisia.[11]

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Tourism in Morocco

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tourism in Morocco is well developed, maintaining a strong tourist industry focused

Tourist receipts in 2007 totaled US$7.55 billion. Tourism is the second largest

The Atlas mountains Sand dunes in Morocco Malabata Coast in Tangier

Old defense walls of Essaouira Swany water reserve in Meknes

The country's attractions can be divided into seven regions: [6]

 The four Imperial cities — the four historical capital cities of

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