2017 was an «exceptional» year for the Moroccan tourism sector with a strong growth in the number of non-resident tourist arrivals, overnight stays in classified hotels and receipts in foreign currency, said the ministry of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicrafts and Social Economy. In a statement, the ministry noted that the number of arrivals of tourists at border posts was 11.35 million in 2017, up 10% compared to 2016, i.e. more than 1 million additional tourists. This rise concerns almost the majority of the Kingdom's major markets, such as Germany (+15%), Holland and Italy (+9%), France and Spain (+8%), as well as The United States, which increased significantly (+29%), said the ministry, adding that the emerging markets for Morocco continue to grow strongly: +151% for China, +39% for Japan and +38 % for Brazil. Furthermore, the number of nights spent in classified hotels increased by 15% in 2017 compared to a year earlier. This performance was due to the increase in non-resident tourist nights (+18%), as well as those of resident tourists (+7%), noted the same source, adding that the majority of the Kingdom's tourist destinations have experienced significant increases in their overnight stays. The strongest growth was recorded in the cities of Fez (+39%), Ouarzazate (+37%), Tangier (+25%), Marrakech (+17%), Agadir and Casablanca (+11%).
