Morocco sets ambitious tourism targets as it bounces back from deadly quake

Marrakech hosted this year's International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual Meetings, an event which drew over 10,000 people to the city. It is only the second time that an African country has hosted the yearly discussions between the two international financial institutions.

Morocco suffered a devastating earthquake in September, but the country remains determined to move forward with tourism as its driving force. 

In the aftermath of the quake, questions were raised about whether the location for the Annual Meetings should be changed. But the IMF and World Bank chose to stick with Marocco and stand by the Moroccan people, who have once again shown resilience in the face of tragedy.

“What we saw over the last four weeks, testified that the authorities as well as the civil society in Morocco, were able to build back very fast and this is something that also we wanted to underline with these annual meetings," explained Jihad Azour, the Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF.

"We had the opportunity to visit the affected area and it's very impressive. We saw students back into schools, in different forms but they are studying again.”

Morocco is one of the world’s top tourist destinations. In 2022 the country welcomed around 11 million visitors.

Nearly 550,000 people are directly employed in the tourism sector, which represents 15% of the total working population.

Fears that the earthquake would stem the flow of tourists have been quickly allayed. More than 960,000 tourists visited Morocco in September 2023 - up 7% compared to September 2022.

“It is crucial to communicate to the world that the situation is more than under control, that we are back to normal life," said Fatim-Zahra Ammor,