Morocco reaches a new record: 18.1 million passengers in 2024
Morocco consolidates its growth for another year. After more than a decade of progress in tourist arrivals, the North African country has welcomed more than 18.1 million tourists from air traffic in the first 7 months. This figure is 18.5% more than last year, and 14.8% in July.
According to the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasts, part of the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance, the figures show a new record in passenger numbers. The increase, according to this institution, is due to the investment in companies such as Royal Air Maroc, which has considerably increased the number of lines and routes.
The report highlights the resilience of Moroccan airports to the reduction in international air traffic. While at the global level, Morocco has seen a 17.9% increase in international passenger arrivals and a 24.6% increase in flights within the territory.
The data, provided by the National Airports Office (ONDA), show that the development and investment plan for infrastructures connecting the airports to the country's main tourism hubs has borne fruit. In terms of distribution, the majority of passengers opted for Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca.
Although other airports such as Marrakech-Menara Airport and Agadir-Al Massira Airport increased by 30.2% and 34.6% respectively, in terms of total number of passengers, Casablanca Airport was the airport chosen by the largest number of travellers. Other major tourist spots such as Rabat-Salé Airport (40.4%), Aéroport Dakhla (33.2%) and Tangier-Ibn Battuta International Airport, with a 20% increase, were part of the sector's growth.
However, in terms of the origin of the recipients, the variation is minimal. In first place are travellers from Europe, who, with a 19% increase, are now the most common profile in the departure lounges. The next most popular flights arriving at Moroccan terminals are from the Middle East, Africa, North America and the Maghreb region.
More and better quality tourism
The trend in Morocco is quite positive. With a cumulative 18.1 million passengers in the first seven months of the year, arrivals to the national territory already exceed the total for the whole of 2023, where 14.5 million were reached, or the pre-pandemic figures where 14.1 million were reached in 2019. The target? To reach 26 million tourists by 2030.
Morocco is currently the leading African country in terms of tourist arrivals, and is the 19th most visited country in the world according to data published by UNWTO, the United Nations' peak body on tourism worldwide.
The Moroccan figures account for more than 60% of the total number of tourists in the Maghreb region and 12% of the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), second only to Saudi Arabia, thanks to the high number of tourists visiting the city of Mecca, with 10.1 million a year, the 13th city in the world with the highest number of passengers per year. Tourism is regaining its pre-pandemic figures, thanks to a 22% increase in inbound tourism from African countries and the Middle East region.
With an average expenditure of 711 dollars per person per week, the tourism arriving in the North African country is increasingly a tourism that tends to invest in the country, surpassing in figures countries such as Greece 680 dollars, France 686 and very close to Mexico's 731.
In addition to the increase in spending per tourist, investment in trade is also increasing. With an average expenditure in 2023 of 10.3 billion dollars, tourists who spend their holidays in Morocco are investing more than ever before.
