The city of Ouarzazate has recorded a 118 percent increase in international visitors in the first six months of 2017, according to a press release issued by the desert city’s Provincial Tourism Council.

The council added that the overnight stays in the city grew by 78 percent during the January-June period.

The increase was underpinned by the surge of French tourists, numbering 17,174, who visited Ouarzazate in the first six months of 2017, compared to 13,837 in the same period of 2016. 10,681 Chinese tourists visited the city, while Spanish tourists, numbering 8,180, were the third most popular visitors.

The same source added that Japanese vacationers in the kingdom increased by 70 percent, increasing from 4,943 tourists in the first six months of 2016 to 8,379 in 2017.

The number of overnight stays in Ouarzazate has increased by 38 percent, totaling 211,765 in 2017, compared to 153,419 in 2016. The city is now considered the most popular in the country for overnight stays.

The council added that air traffic in Ouarzazate recorded an increase of 44.39 percent at the end of June 2017, exceeding all the numbers recorded by the other airports in the kingdom.

 

Source: BNA