IS threat affected Moroccan tourism, says minister

The threat posed by the Islamic State group (IS) has been one of the factors in the decline of Morocco's tourism industry said the country's tourism minister Lahcen Haddad on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference on ways to fortify the tourism industry, the minister said the country's tourism revenues have been affected by turbulence in the region over the past few years, especially increased IS activity in neighbouring countries such as Tunisia.

"Despite this turbulent international environment, Morocco tourism sector was able to attract 9.43 million visitors this year until the end of November," said Haddad.

The minister explained that the decline in the number of visitors compared with last year has only been 0.9 percent.

He estimated that Morocco would be able to attract 10.6 million visitors in 2016 who would generate over $6 billion.

Haddad also pointed out that the tourism industry has created 520,000 jobs between 2010 and 2015, which is an increase of 13 percent in the sector's workforce.

Meanwhile, Haddad denied the idea that Morocco has become a destination for sex tourism saying that 99 percent of visitors come to the country due to its rich natural and cultural diversity.

He also revealed that the government intends to create a travel company to market Moroccan holiday packages and destinations as part of a strategy to attract visitors from new markets.

Tourism is the second largest foreign exchange earner in Morocco after the phosphate industry, with the government heavily investing in tourism development.

The Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris at the start of the year followed by terrorist attacks in Tunisia over the summer have caused a 15 percent fall in the number of tourists from France, which is Morocco's largest travel market and provided 1.8 million visitors last year.

The most recent attacks in Paris on 13 November are set to further reduce the number of French visitors to Morocco.