Number of tourists on the rise

A total of 7.45 million tourists visited Morocco last year, i.e. a 13 per cent increase compared to 2006, which yielded some US$7.7 billion, Moroccan Tourism and Craft Industry Minister, Mohamed Boussaid, has declared recently. Graded hotels posted 16.9 million nights, say a 3% rise compared to the year before, the minister said, according to MAP.
The French continue to top the list with 2.85 million tourists, followed by the Spaniards (1.6 million), the Belgians (431 000), the British (419 000), the Italians (370 000), the Dutch (361 000) and the Germans (296 000).
Except for the southern cities of Ouarzazate that recorded a 3 per cent drop and Agadir whose figures have remained stable, all the other tourist destinations received more tourists. Casablanca topped the list with 9 per cent, followed by Fez (center) (+8 per cent), Rabat (+5 per cent), Marrakech (+5 per cent) and Tangier (+3 per cent).
The Minister said, the tourism the main source of income from investments and the creation of jobs in the Kingdom, but also as a driving force for sustainable development, a contribution to 8 percent of GDP. The Kingdom has set itself the target of attracting 10 million tourists in 2010. To this end it has adopted a strategy of "Vision 2010", which for the production of 160000 beds, bringing the national capacity to 230000 beds. It also aims at the creation of about 600,000 new jobs.