File photo for representation only
Rabat: Morocco welcomed more than 17 million tourists last year, authorities announced Thursday, breaking its yearly arrivals record and logging a 20-percent increase from 2023.
The North African kingdom has invested heavily in recent years in modernising its airports, public transportation and hospitality industry in the hopes of boosting its tourism sector.
The tourism ministry, in a statement carried by official news agency MAP, said that the number of visitors in 2024 was higher by about three million than in the pervious year.
A little more than half of the tourists were foreigners and the rest Moroccans living abroad, the statement said, with both figures going up compared to 2023.
"The country has achieved an ambitious roadmap target ahead of schedule, as it was originally set for 2026," the ministry statement said referring to 17-million mark.
"These figures reflect our government's targeted investments in this vital economic sector and the unwavering efforts of tourism professionals," Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor told MAP.
Tourism represented about seven percent of country's GDP in 2023, accounting for some two million jobs, according to official figures, which are not yet available for 2024.
To boost tourism, Morocco has invested in improving hotels and commercial services, and expanded air routes and partnerships with low-cost airlines such as Ireland-based Ryanair.
Morocco is set to host the FIFA African Cup of Nations this year, and the World Cup in 2030.
