Morocco’s triumph at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is seemingly already paying off for the North African country, with a notable spike in tourism since the tournament that many have partly attributed to the Atlas Lions’ historic performances.
Marrakech especially seems to be benefiting from the influx of tourists, and the travel booking website Marrakech Best Of has taken to Instagram to warn travelers of the insane demand the city is receiving.
“Marrakech is full at the moment! And it will certainly be this way until the end of September,” the website wrote in its Instagram story. “We strongly recommend that you book everything in advance!”
The site detailed that tourism activities are often booked in full two or three days in advance, and that some pools and restaurants are full weeks in advance.
Many have attributed some of the increase in tourist arrivals to the Moroccan national football team’s success story at the 2022 World Cup.
“We’ve recorded an increase of more than 12% (in arrivals) in December 2022 compared to December 2019,” Zakaria Harti, an official at the Marrakech Menara Airport, told VOA Africa in February.
During the tournament held in Qatar in late 2022, Morocco stole the spotlight in a fairy tale run that saw the country’s national team become the first one from Africa and the Arab world to reach the semi-finals.
Following the World Cup, a report from Dubai-based media intelligence organization CARMA said the performance had improved Morocco’s global perception at all levels.
Google searches for the country surged by 273% following the tournament, and social media posts increased by a staggering 764%, CARMA documented.
Tourism-focused websites also saw significant increases. Visits to Morocco.com increased by 99%, visitmorocco.com had their visits increase by 34%, while searches for Morocco on Tripadvisor surged by 154%.
“Morocco’s success was not only an underdog story, but also a testament to the unique values of the Moroccan team, such as family, love, resilience, and determination,” CARMA Founder and CEO Mazen Mahawi said.
Marrakech’s office of tourism said that the number of tourists who visited Morocco in 2022 reached 10.9 million, up significantly from 3.7 million the previous year.
The surge, and especially the World Cup boost, comes at an auspicious period for the Moroccan hospitality industry as the country tries to recover its vital tourism sector from the international shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tourists have been able to access the country more conveniently as Morocco has been steadily lifting hygiene and travel restrictions.
