HIBAPRESS – Rabat
The Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, stated on Wednesday during a joint session of the two chambers of Parliament dedicated to presenting the government's report that the tourism sector witnessed exceptional development, making Morocco one of the most attractive tourist destinations globally. He clarified that the Kingdom received approximately 19.8 million tourists, recording a growth of 53.5% compared to 2019, which reflects a strong recovery in the attractiveness of the Moroccan destination and a remarkable recovery of the sector.
The Head of Government explained that tourism revenues reached a record level of approximately 138.1 billion dirhams, an increase of 75.5% compared to 2019, emphasizing that this performance reflects the accelerating dynamics of the sector and its increasing contribution to supporting the national economy. He added that this positive transformation is due to the implementation of the 2023-2026 tourism roadmap, which has a financial envelope of approximately 6.1 billion dirhams and aims to develop the national tourism offer by qualifying the hotel infrastructure, improving the quality of services, encouraging tourism activities, and enhancing air connectivity. On another front, the Head of Government confirmed that the traditional crafts sector has also undergone an important transformation, as it has become a lever for the economic and social integration of more than 2.6 million artisans, with the launch of "Vision 2030" aimed at modernizing the sector and enhancing its competitiveness while preserving its heritage and cultural components. According to the Head of Government's presentation, the benefits of social protection for traditional craftsmen were also expanded to include more than 660,000 professionals, in a move to improve their social conditions and enhance their professional stability, noting that exports of traditional crafts exceeded 1.23 billion dirhams in 2025, an increase of approximately 56% compared to 2019, an indicator of the improved competitiveness of Moroccan craft products in foreign markets. Regarding the solidarity economy, Aziz Akhannouch stated that the government launched a national strategy with a budget of 368 million dirhams to support cooperatives and social enterprises and qualify their governance, which enhances their role in local development. He pointed out that this dynamism has enabled the number of cooperatives to increase to 63,445 cooperatives, including more than 778,000 members, which reflects the development of this sector to become an important economic component, contributing about 3% of the gross domestic product and providing about 5% of job opportunities at the national level.
