Tourism in Morocco
Tourism in Morocco is well developed, with a strong tourism industry focused on the coast, culture and history of the country. Morocco has been one of the most politically stable countries in North Africa, which has allowed the development of tourism. The Moroccan government created a Ministry of Tourism in 1985. [1] Tourism is considered one of the main sources of foreign currency in Morocco and in 2013 it had the highest number of arrivals outside the African countries.
History of tourism
In the second half of the 80s and early 90s, between 1 and 1.5 million Europeans visited Morocco. Most of these visitors were French or Spanish, with about 100,000 from Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. Tourists mostly visited large spas along the Atlantic coast, particularly Agadir. Around 20,000 people from Saudi Arabia visited, some of whom bought holiday homes. Tourism receipts fell by 16.5% in 1990, the year the Gulf War began. In 1994, Algeria closed its border with Morocco after the attack of Marrakech, which caused the number of Algerian visitors to decrease 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, an annual increase of 1.5% . 30% of tourists were one of the 3.8 million Moroccans living abroad. Marrakech itself had more than 2 million visitors in 2017. [3] The majority of visitors to Morocco are still Europeans, with French and Spanish citizens representing almost 40% of all visitors. Most Europeans visit in April and fall, apart from the Spaniards, who mostly visit in June and August.
Tourism industry
Revenues from tourism in 2007 totaled US $ 7.55 billion. Tourism is the second largest source of foreign currency in Morocco, after the phosphate industry. The Moroccan government is investing heavily in the development of tourism. A new tourism strategy called Vision 2010 was developed after the accession of King Mohammed VI in 1999. The government has pointed out that Morocco will have 10 million visitors by 2010, with the hope that tourism has risen to 20% of GDP. The large marketing campaigns sponsored by the government to attract tourists announced Morocco as a cheap and exotic place, albeit safe, for European tourists.
The relatively high number of tourists from Morocco has been favored by its location, tourist attractions and the relatively low price. Cruises visit the ports of Casablanca and Tangier. Morocco is close to Europe and attracts visitors to its beaches. Due to its proximity to Spain, tourists in the coastal areas of southern Spain make trips of one to three days to Morocco. Air services have been established between Morocco and Algeria, many Algerians have traveled to Morocco to buy and visit family and friends. Morocco is relatively cheap due to the devaluation of the dirham and the increase in the prices of hotels in Spain. Morocco has an excellent road and rail infrastructure that connects the main cities and tourist destinations with ports and cities with international airports. Low cost airlines offer cheap flights to the country.
Azur Plan
The "Azur Plan", is a large-scale project initiated by King Mohammed VI, is destined to internationalize Morocco. The plan calls for the creation of six coastal resorts for owners of holiday homes and tourists (five on the Atlantic coast and one in the Mediterranean), the newspaper noted. The plan also includes other large-scale development projects, such as upgrading regional airports to attract low-cost airlines and building new rail and highway links. Thus, the country achieved an 11% increase in tourism in the first five months of 2008 compared to the same period last year, he said, adding that French visitors topped the list with 927,000 followed by Spaniards (587,000) and British (141,000). . Morocco, which is close to Europe, has a mix of culture and the exotic that makes it popular among Europeans who buy holiday homes.
Sights
The attractions of the country can be divided into seven regions:
The four imperial cities: the four historical capitals of Morocco: Fez, Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat.
Marrakech
Casablanca - the largest city in Morocco; home of the Hassan II mosque, which has the tallest minaret in the world at 656 feet
Tangier and its surroundings
Ouarzazate - a famous place to make movies;
Tourism in Morocco is well developed, with a strong tourism industry focused on the coast, culture and history of the country. Morocco has been one of the most politically stable countries in North Africa, which has allowed the development of tourism. The Moroccan government created a Ministry of Tourism in 1985. [1] Tourism is considered one of the main sources of foreign currency in Morocco and in 2013 it had the highest number of arrivals outside the African countries.
History of tourism
In the second half of the 80s and early 90s, between 1 and 1.5 million Europeans visited Morocco. Most of these visitors were French or Spanish, with about 100,000 from Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. Tourists mostly visited large spas along the Atlantic coast, particularly Agadir. Around 20,000 people from Saudi Arabia visited, some of whom bought holiday homes. Tourism receipts fell by 16.5% in 1990, the year the Gulf War began. In 1994, Algeria closed its border with Morocco after the attack of Marrakech, which caused the number of Algerian visitors to decrease 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, an annual increase of 1.5% . 30% of tourists were one of the 3.8 million Moroccans living abroad. Marrakech itself had more than 2 million visitors in 2017. [3] The majority of visitors to Morocco are still Europeans, with French and Spanish citizens representing almost 40% of all visitors. Most Europeans visit in April and fall, apart from the Spaniards, who mostly visit in June and August.
Tourism industry
Revenues from tourism in 2007 totaled US $ 7.55 billion. Tourism is the second largest source of foreign currency in Morocco, after the phosphate industry. The Moroccan government is investing heavily in the development of tourism. A new tourism strategy called Vision 2010 was developed after the accession of King Mohammed VI in 1999. The government has pointed out that Morocco will have 10 million visitors by 2010, with the hope that tourism has risen to 20% of GDP. The large marketing campaigns sponsored by the government to attract tourists announced Morocco as a cheap and exotic place, albeit safe, for European tourists.
The relatively high number of tourists from Morocco has been favored by its location, tourist attractions and the relatively low price. Cruises visit the ports of Casablanca and Tangier. Morocco is close to Europe and attracts visitors to its beaches. Due to its proximity to Spain, tourists in the coastal areas of southern Spain make trips of one to three days to Morocco. Air services have been established between Morocco and Algeria, many Algerians have traveled to Morocco to buy and visit family and friends. Morocco is relatively cheap due to the devaluation of the dirham and the increase in the prices of hotels in Spain. Morocco has an excellent road and rail infrastructure that connects the main cities and tourist destinations with ports and cities with international airports. Low cost airlines offer cheap flights to the country.
Azur Plan
The "Azur Plan", is a large-scale project initiated by King Mohammed VI, is destined to internationalize Morocco. The plan calls for the creation of six coastal resorts for owners of holiday homes and tourists (five on the Atlantic coast and one in the Mediterranean), the newspaper noted. The plan also includes other large-scale development projects, such as upgrading regional airports to attract low-cost airlines and building new rail and highway links. Thus, the country achieved an 11% increase in tourism in the first five months of 2008 compared to the same period last year, he said, adding that French visitors topped the list with 927,000 followed by Spaniards (587,000) and British (141,000). . Morocco, which is close to Europe, has a mix of culture and the exotic that makes it popular among Europeans who buy holiday homes.
Sights
The attractions of the country can be divided into seven regions:
The four imperial cities: the four historical capitals of Morocco: Fez, Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat.
Marrakech
Casablanca - the largest city in Morocco; home of the Hassan II mosque, which has the tallest minaret in the world at 656 feet
Tangier and its surroundings
Ouarzazate - a famous place to make movies;
No comments:
Post a Comment