In a speech during the opening of the first edition of the regional tourism forum "Siyaha", Ms. Ammor commended the city's achievements in tourism development and the outstanding results recorded in 2024. She emphasised that the notable growth in visitor numbers and overnight stays, as well as the strengthening of hotel infrastructure, are "positive indicators of the success of the strategy implemented to promote the sector".
She also highlighted the importance of projects currently underway in Essaouira, particularly the development of the Mogador tourist resort and the enhancement of air connectivity, with the aim of boosting the tourism offering and attracting a greater number of visitors.
In this context, the Minister expressed her optimism regarding the tourism future of the Pearl of the Atlantic, explaining that the activities carried out in line with the objectives of the 2023-2026 roadmap will enable the City of the Wind to strengthen its pivotal role in achieving Morocco's ambition of welcoming 26 million tourists by 2030.
She stated that "thanks to the implementation of the roadmap with innovative and unprecedented mechanisms, we have been able to move to a new phase of tourism development for our country and achieve significant accomplishments across various regions of the Kingdom, including the Marrakech-Safi region, which is considered the engine of tourism in Morocco, having welcomed 4.4 million arrivals in 2024, an increase of 32 per cent compared to 2023".
Ms. Ammor also praised the historic performance of the national tourism sector in 2024, with the arrival of 17.4 million tourists, exceeding the target set of welcoming 17 million tourists by 2026.
She concluded that "reaching this positive and exceptional performance, which is a source of pride for our country, was achieved thanks to the enlightened policy of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the measures taken by the government at the right time, despite the tests the Kingdom has gone through".
This forum, organised by the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of the Marrakech-Safi region under the theme "For the sustainability and innovation of tourism in the Marrakech-Safi region", aims to highlight mechanisms for supporting and developing the tourism product, the importance of continuous training for tourism sector workers, and providing a framework for communication between participants, allowing for the strengthening of cooperation and the exchange of best practices to develop tourism at the regional level.
