Morocco: Receipts to reach MAD465b in 2010 

(MENAFN - Morocco Business News) Tourism receipts are expected to reach MAD 465 billion (about USD 56.4billion) in 2010, Moroccan Tourism Minister Yassir Znagui has said.

At a meeting in the parliament, Znagui reported that more than one million tourists visited the kingdom in the first two months of 2010, registering a rise of 14% relative to the same period last year.

He also recalled the inauguration of large-scale tourist resorts, as part of the Vision 2010, which are expected to have a good impact on the sector.

In the same line, a report published recently by the International Business Monitor (IBM) said that the new openings as part of the Plan Azur tourism projects will lead to an increase in tourism revenues.

The IBM thus underlined that it is hopeful as to the sector's future, given Morocco's "cost advantage, stable political situation and a spate of new tourism developments coming on stream in the coming years."

The report also noted that Morocco's tourist sector registered "a great performance in 2009 when set against the backdrop of the global economic crisis."

Hence IBM gave Morocco a score of 63, putting it ahead of the countries of Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, stressing that the "country's tourism market is performing strongly."

It also added that market and country risks are low on a regional basis, explaining that the Plan Azur developments should ensure continued growth in the Moroccan tourism industry over the forecast period.

The only area where the country scores slightly poorly, according to IBM, is in the Country Structure component. Yet, it underscored that Morocco "is taking great strides to improve its tourism infrastructure so we would expect this to improve in future reports."