Difficult summer for Moroccan tourism industry

The summer period, normally the busiest of the year, seems to be a quiet one for Moroccan tourism this year. Experts in the field agree that the world economic crisis, reduced purchasing power among Moroccan expatriates, the flu pandemic, and the start of Ramadan at the end of August, will have contributed to a significant drop in the country's tourist activities.

The number of tourists crossing the border into Morocco had increased by 10% between January 1st and May 31st, reaching 2,751,000 visitors. Yet, the number of overnight stays in official accommodation fell by 3% overall compared with the same period last year. If local tourists are excluded, the number of overnight stays drops by 5%.

Morale is low among most operators in the sector, and nearly all are reducing their forecasts for this year.

Get the full story at: eTurboNews