Morocco: Unscathed by the Arab Spring, it rises to the top 10 global destinations.

Morocco is back in the rankings of international tourist guides, spared by the political instability and armed violence currently characterizing the Mena region (Middle East, North Africa).


In the new summer 2014 ranking by the Routard.com guide, Morocco is ranked the 8th best tourist destination in the world, surpassed by Thailand, France, Greece, Italy and the United States. But better than Bali (Indonesia, 9th) and Croatia (10th). The Routard.com team compiled its ranking just before the start of the summer holidays, based on a count of pages visited on its website from March to the end of May, across all sections (guide, magazine and community pages).

While Thailand is the top destination consulted on the Routard.com website, Morocco comes in 8th position with 937,000 pages viewed (1.22 million for New York City, 4th place), compared to 1.359 million page views. "After a lull following the Arab Spring (which, it should be remembered, did not affect the country), the destination is regaining its colors," highlights the site. In addition, the Kingdom has invested heavily in high-end hotel infrastructure, and well-equipped seaside resorts, such as the new project under development in Casablanca Marina, "Wessal Casablanca-Port."

Bright prospects
A recovery is on the horizon, confirmed by the approximately 10 million tourists recorded in 2013. In the latest World Economic Forum ranking, Morocco gained 7 places in terms of attractiveness and tourism competitiveness, with a 71st position worldwide and 9th in the Mena region.
The peak in tourist flows was accompanied by a 2.2% increase in the country's revenue generated by the sector. Visibly pleased that the political instability in the MENA region has benefited the revival of the sector, Lahcen Haddad, Moroccan Minister of Tourism, believes that "Morocco will be able to achieve even better results given that global forecasts point to a 4% growth in international tourist demand in 2014."

Satisfied customers
A customer satisfaction survey conducted by the Tourism Observatory in 2013 revealed that 70% of foreign tourists surveyed said they were very satisfied or satisfied with their experience in Morocco. In 2013, the tourism sector accounted for 8.6% of Morocco's gross domestic product (GDP) at $9.5 billion (77.13 billion dirhams) and is expected to fall slightly in 2014 to 8.1%, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council report for 2014.
The sector employed 814,000 people in 2013, or 7.6% of total employment in Morocco.



Maghrebemergent.com

Published June 8, 2014.

Posted online June 9, 2014.