More Tourists, Less Money for Morocco in 2013

Morocco witnessed a gain of seven percent, welcoming 10.5 million tourists last year; however, the money spent by the tourists seems to have dipped

Morocco witnessed a gain of seven percent, welcoming 10.5 million tourists last year; however, the money spent by the tourists seems to have dipped.

"The number of tourists who went to Morocco in 2013 reached 10,046,000," Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad told the official MAP news agency Friday.

Brazilians Urged to Treat Tourists Well at Next Year's World Cup
Brazilians have a perfect right to demonstrate during the World Cup next year, as long as it does not spill over to mistreatment of tourists, local organizing committee CEO Ricardo Trade has said.

But ministry figures showed that revenues from non-resident tourists eased 0.5 percent to 57.5 billion dirhams (5.1 billion euros/$6.9 billion).

The North African kingdom was badly affected by the financial crisis in Europe, its top trade partner, aggravating the economic challenges facing the government of Islamist premier Abdelilah Benkirane.

The rise in arrivals last year was due, notably, to an influx of tourists from Italy, Germany and England, with the number of holidaymakers from those countries rising by between 12 and 15 percent.

Cheaper Yen Attracts More Tourists to Japan
A government agency revealed that in April, a record 923,000 foreigners travelled to Japan, up 18.1 percent from a year earlier, taking advantage of a weaker yen and an increase in chartered flights.

By contrast, tourist arrivals from France and Spain grew by just four percent.

Marrakesh and the coastal city of Agadir were the most popular destinations, receiving two-thirds of the visitors.

World Tourist Numbers Surge to Nearly 1.1 Billion in 2013
A United Nations body revealed that International tourist numbers surged to nearly 1.1 billion in 2013 in defiance of global economic troubles, with Asia-Pacific destinations enjoying the fastest growth.

Tourism is the second-largest economic sector in Morocco. It accounts for around eight percent of GDP, employing some 500,000 people, and the government hopes to see the number of visitors rise to 20 million by 2022.

Haddad said in November that the government planned to levy a small tax on all flights out of the country, which he said would be used to promote it as a holiday destination.

Source-AFP