Morocco optimistic for Israeli tourism boost as ties improve
RU EN

Morocco optimistic for Israeli tourism boost as ties improve

News  
03-19-2021
 

Morocco is expecting to receive tourists from Israel after the two countries agreed late last year to resume diplomatic ties and relaunch direct flights.

The agreement was part of a deal brokered by the United States.

Reuters reports that although a small number of Israeli tourists visited Morocco, many stayed away due to a lack of direct flights and diplomatic ties. 

"This is the main reason the number of Israeli tourists will increase significantly," the head of the Israeli liaison office in Rabat, David Govrin, said.

Tourism minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui is expecting 200,000 Israeli visitors in the first year following the resumption of direct flights. 

Morocco is attractive due to its Jewish history as home to pilgrimage sites, attracting tourism that could benefit specialist operators.

"I was quite afraid to go previously, because it's an Arab country, even though I was told that the tours there were fine. Now that there is peace, I think I can go without fear," a retired Israeli teacher Rivka Sheetrit was quoted as saying.

"When the skies reopen I plan to go." 

Morocco received about 13 million yearly foreign tourists before the pandemic.

Its tourism revenue dropped 53.8% to 36.3 billion dirhams ($3.8 billion) in 2020, according to Reuters.

More
09-17-2024
Bulgarian Tourists Under Surveillance of AI
Artificial intelligence is keeping watch over the law in the Bulgarian mountains
09-16-2024
Sochi Granted Federal Resort Status
Sochi Mayor Andrey Proshunin has announced that the city has been granted federal resort status
09-16-2024
Sockeye Salmon on Kamchatka Become More Active in Building Nests
The press service of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve has reported on the research of the sockeye salmon spawning stock conducted by scientists in the South Kamchatka Sanctuary
09-16-2024
"A Drop of Ancient Tyumen Sea" Recognized as the Most Creative Ural Souvenir
In the "Souvenir Idea" nomination of the Ural stage of the All-Russian "Tourist Souvenir" competition held in Kurgan, the highest expert rating was awarded to "A Drop of the Ancient Tyumen Sea"
09-16-2024
First Photo Expedition Launched in Zabaikalsky National Park "Kodar"
The Kodar National Park in the Zabaikalsky Krai, together with the Union of Wildlife Photographers, has organized a tour for renowned Russian and international photo artists
09-16-2024
Liechtenstein among the ten least visited countries in the world
The American website World Population Review, based on data from the World Tourism Organization, estimated which countries of the world are the least visited by tourists