Morocco attracted over 5 million tourists as of the end of May
In an effort to promote Moroccan tourism and increase visitor numbers, Office National Marocain Du Tourisme (ONMT), Morocco’s tourist marketing organisation, made agreements with Asian travel industry professionals and operators. According to a press statement by the ONMT, the deals aim to double flights from Gulf airports, a key hub connecting Morocco to the rest of Asia and Australia.
The Ministry of Tourism recently released new data showing that as of the end of May, Morocco attracted over 5 million tourists, demonstrating the country’s continued ability to draw in millions of visitors. The figure indicates a 20 pc increase over the same period in 2019, when the tourism industry achieved a milestone before the pandemic. The ministry emphasised that 1.1 million extra visitors in May alone represented a record surge of 55 pc over the same month last year.
The recently held 24th edition of Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival alone attracted nearly 300,000 festival-goers from June 22-24, confirming the universal popularity of this event. The statement adds that for three days more than 35 mâalems, or musicians of the festival, offered timeless moments of rare beauty, transporting the audience between daring fusions and pure Gnawa tradition.
The ONMT says it has also joined hands with Wego Group, a Singapore and Dubai-based search engine, to promote Morocco as a travel destination in Asian markets. Additionally, it entered into a relationship with Cozmo Travel, a company that runs 90 travel agents in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and India.
ONMT says that as part of preparations for the World Cup 2030, it signed a deal with Nirvana Travel and Tourism to hold training sessions for operators in India as well as few other countries.
