Approximately 2,500 Moroccan tourists visited Israel in 2022, data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics cited in a report indicate. Following the signing of the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2022, the influx of tourists between the two countries has been on the rise.
According to the report from the Abraham Accords Institute for Peace, since the normalization of ties between Morocco and Israel, the influx of Israeli tourism to Morocco has increased substantially, going from nearly 40,000 tourists in 2019 to over 70,000 in 2022.
The increase in demand for flights led to the creation of numerous regularly scheduled direct flights between Israel and Morocco, especially in 2022.
In March, Morocco’s national carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) launched its first direct flight to Israel, becoming the first airline to offer flights between Casablanca and Tel Aviv. In addition, Royal Air Maroc and Israel’s El Al Airlines announced a Code Share Agreement.
Also in March 2022, Morocco’s tourism authority sealed an agreement with Israeli private airline Israir to promote Morocco as an Israeli tourist destination and to enable Israir to launch two weekly flights from Tel Aviv to Marrakech.
The Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development has equally taken strides to strengthen tourism activities between the two countries with the hosting of a virtual Morocco-Israel Tourism Investment Summit in collaboration with the Moroccan and Israeli ministries of tourism.
The report noted that given Morocco’s profile as an international tourism destination, the country has the potential to attract even more Israeli tourists. However, outbound travel to Israel is still at “a nascent stage,” due mainly to the rising cost of traveling to Israel.