Rabat (IINA) : Moroccan tourism revenues reached 59.4 billion dirham (MAD) by the end of November 2016, making Morocco “the top African country attracting tourists,” said Director of the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) Abderrafie Zouitene.

In an interview with Morocco’s Les Inspirations ÉCO, Zouitene stated that since July 2016, the rates of increases have started becoming higher than that of the first months.”

He noted that this significant increase follows Morocco’s policy of waiving its visa requirements for Chinese nationals entering Morocco beginning in June of 2016. “Before that Morocco received on average 800 to 1000 tourists per month, today it is at more than 6,000 a month. The Russian market has also progressed. In Agadir, it reaches more than 300 percent,” Zouitene added.

Zouitene continued his remarks, noting that this “increase of 4.1 percent is a very important indicator. It contributes significantly to foreign exchange reserves.”

In maintaining its 2020 Vision initiative, the ONMT is attempting to boost Morocco’s tourism industry by making Morocco the preferred vacation destination for Chinese and Russian tourists.

In December, Morocco World News reported that the UAE’s national airline Etihad Airways “will partner with the ONMT to attract 100,000 Chinese visitors each year by 2018.”

Labeled as “1,000 Chinese Visitors to Morocco,” the newly launched joint campaign between Etihad and the largest Chinese tour operator, specializing in tourism to the Middle East and Africa, Beijing Yougo World International Travel Service Co. Ltd. (Uniway) is set to carry 1,000 Chinese travelers with Etihad Airways to Morocco between February and June 2017.

In an attempt to reach its goal of attracting 800,000 Russian, Scandinavian, Turkish, German and Chinese tourists by 2020, the ONMT recently invited 41 Russian journalists to tour Marrakech, Ouarzazate, and Agadir to explore Morocco’s renowned landmarks to report on services that could prove attractive to Russian tourists.