- Aissam AKHIYAT
- PubliéSeptember 27, 2022
- Tourism
Each year, September 27 is celebrated as World Tourism Day. This event marks the anniversary of the adoption of the statutes of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). On the occasion of World Tourism Day 2022, let’s analyze whether international and domestic tourism have reached a pre-pandemic level.
The state of international tourism:
While tourism has continued to show signs of recovery, it is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon.
According to the latest World Tourism Barometer published by the Madrid-based agency, an estimated 474 million tourists traveled abroad in the first seven months of this year. This figure represents 57% of the number of tourist arrivals in the same period before the pandemic.
Europe and the Middle East have seen the strongest recovery with arrivals reaching 74% and 76% of 2019 levels respectively.
Obstacles to international tourism recovery:
As countries celebrate World Tourism Day 2022 today, it is critical to know what obstacles stand in the way of international tourism recovery.
The uncertain economic environment is one of the reasons hindering the recovery. Due to rising inflation and soaring oil prices, transportation and accommodation costs have increased dramatically. The purchasing power of consumers is under pressure for these reasons.
Due to the global economic situation and the pressure on purchasing power, tourism is slow to recover to its pre-pandemic level.
World Tourism Day 2022 theme:
UNWTO began celebrating World Tourism Day in 1980. The objective of this day is to raise awareness of the importance of tourism. It highlights its social, cultural, political and economic value.
Each year, the UNWTO appoints a host country. The host country will be the organization’s partner in celebrating World Tourism Day.
This year, Indonesia is the host country and “Rethinking Tourism” is the theme of World Tourism Day 2022.
Situation of tourism in Morocco on the occasion of World Tourism Day:
Morocco‘s tourism revenues are approaching pre-pandemic figures. They reached 36.7 billion dirhams ($3.4 billion) at the end of July 2022. The recovery rate is 88.4%.
According to the country’s Department of Financial Studies and Forecasting (DEPF), this recovery is attributed to the various measures taken by Morocco. These measures aimed to revive and boost the sector, including the reopening of national borders.
During the months of June and July, 3.2 million tourists landed in Morocco. Records from the same period in 2019 show a slightly superior number of arrivals. By the end of the first half of 2022, the number of arrivals in Morocco approached 3.4 million tourists. This represents an increase of 303.4%, year-on-year, after a 57.3% decline in 2021.
Compared to their pre-crisis level (end of June 2019), arrivals and overnight stays at the end of June 2022 have recovered by nearly 63% and more than 54% respectively, the report detailed.
Tourism in Morocco in 2023:
Bookings for 2023 further underscore Morocco’s popularity with foreign tourists. Ranked 8th among the most popular tourist destinations for next year, Morocco surpassed Iceland, which was placed 13th in the list, ahead of Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
The “strong” bookings for 2023 underscore people’s willingness to travel. This initiative is more vital than ever to communities that have been financially impacted by international travel stoppages and inflation.
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