Morocco Excels at UNWTO Executive Council as Tourism Hits 132% of Pre-Pandemic Levels

The Moroccan delegation, composed of Zohra Tazi, Acting Director of Strategy and Cooperation, and Omar Dinia, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Social and Solidarity Economy, used this opportunity to highlight the Kingdom’s exceptional resilience, according to a statement from the Ministry.

Under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, the tourism sector has demonstrated remarkable adaptability in the face of challenges, showcasing Morocco’s strength and responsiveness in crisis management, the statement noted.

The Council was informed about the implementation of Morocco’s 2023-2026 tourism roadmap, which highlighted recent records, including 14.6 million tourists by the end of October 2024—an increase of 2.3 million compared to 2023—and tourism revenues of 87.1 billion dirhams by the end of September 2024.

On the sidelines of this event, which brought together representatives from 47 countries, the Moroccan delegation held fruitful discussions with UNWTO officials. These talks focused on advancing the project to open a UNWTO office in Morocco and strengthening Morocco-UNWTO cooperation. A bilateral meeting with Canada’s Deputy Minister of Tourism also explored new avenues for collaboration.

During the session, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili presented an encouraging report on the Organization’s activities, highlighting the impressive global tourism recovery, which reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024, with nearly 285 million international tourists.

Morocco, however, achieved particularly outstanding results, surpassing the global average with a recovery rate of 132% over the same period, 35 points above the international average.

This exceptional performance continues the Kingdom’s momentum, which had already recorded a recovery rate of 112% in 2023, demonstrating the resilience and dynamism of Morocco’s tourism sector in the post-pandemic era.

The statement also recalled Morocco’s continuous commitment to UNWTO since its establishment in 1975. The Kingdom currently holds a seat on the Executive Council for the 2022-2025 period and is a member of several key committees, underscoring its active role in the development of international tourism.