BMI's Executive Summary

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Latest Statistics

In January 2008, Morocco's Tourism Ministry announced that tourist arrivals to Morocco during the first 11 months of 2007 registered a rise of 14% year on year (y-o-y). A total of 6.72mn tourists arrived in the country over this period. The most important source market for Morocco was France, which sent 2.6mn tourists. Spain was second, with 1.43mn, followed by Belgium (392,000), the UK (387,000), Italy (333,000) the Netherlands (325,000) and Germany (182,000). Tourism receipts for the Jan-Nov period were MAD54.1bn (US$6.6bn).

The 14% annual increase is very much in line with BMI's prediction of a 17% rate of growth for the year as a whole. We believe that the prospects for Morocco's tourism industry remain buoyant. The country boasts a level of political stability rare in the Islamic world, and the authorities have prioritised tourism as a key source of foreign exchange earnings over the years to come.

Over our forecast period, we believe that tourist arrivals can grow at an average annual rate of 10%. This will bring total tourist arrival numbers to 11.8mn by 2012. At the same time, international tourism receipts will continue to grow strongly, reaching US$10.83bn by 2012.

Vision 2010 And Plan Azur

The cornerstone of Morocco's tourism strategy for the balance of this decade is Vision 2010. This programme aims to attract 10mn tourists to the African nation by 2010. Other key aspects of the programme include the creation of some 160,000 new hotel beds, bringing the total national capacity to 230,000 beds. The country also hopes to create 600,000 new tourism sector jobs. The key points of Vision 2010 are listed on page 10 of this report. A key component of Vision 2010 is Plan Azur. This plan identifies six key resorts to be developed along the country's extensive coastline. A full description of Plan Azur can be found on page 23 of this report.

A Good Time To Invest

Foreign investment in the tourism sector should continue to rise across BMI's forecast period to 2012. Many international hotel chains are building new resorts across the country and the untapped potential of Morocco's extensive coastline should be a particular draw to investors wishing to gain exposure to the tourism and property sectors. Foreign airlines are starting up new routes to the kingdom, following the deregulation of the sector in late 2005. The strong priority given to tourism by King Mohamed VI and his government is a further supportive factor.

Competitive Landscape for Middle East & Africa Tourism Reports: Sample of Companies Ranked

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Comparative cross-border analysis assessing business and regulatory factors to rank Asia’s most competitive tourism markets. Indicators used include Political Risk, Business Environment Risk, Forecast International Tourism Receipts, Visitor Arrival Growth, Investment Environment and Shock Factors (taking account of any special factors such as terrorism, natural disasters and disease). Company SWOTs for leading resort, hotel, airline, travel and tourism operators in each market, including competitive intelligence on overall geographic presence, competitive positioning and relationships with international operators; % share of operator markets; % share of international arrivals and departures; % share of busiest domestic routes; main products and services; panregional expansion, merger and acquisition strategies.

Network of Middle Eastern & African Tourism Sources

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BMI's Middle Eastern & African Tourism Reports are based on an extensive network of multilateral organisations, government departments, tourism industry associations, chambers of commerce and company reports. Information sources include: