![air-journal_ryanair-marrakech](https://medafricatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/air-journal_ryanair-marrakech.jpg)
Ryanair said it will increase its flights to Moroccan cities in a much needed boost to tourism hit by the pandemic.
As of October 25, the low-cost company will resume 45 air routes linking Morocco to Belgium, France, the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal.
The announcement was received with relief among tourist operators whose business was among the worst hit by the pandemic in Morocco.
The new links and the relaxation of entry conditions would enable European tourists to visit winter tourist destinations, including Agadir, Essaouira, Fez, Nador, Oujda, Marrakech, Rabat and Tangier.
“Thanks to our exceptional relationship with Ryanair, we have agreed together to reconnect our various destinations to the main European markets, and we aim to reach more external markets with Ryanair,” said Adel El Fakir, director general of the Moroccan National Tourist Office.
Tourism accounts for 7% of Morocco’s gross domestic product and employs half a million people directly and at least 2 million indirectly. It generates $7.8 billion annually.
In 2019, Morocco registered 13 million international arrivals in 2019, making the country one of Africa’s busiest destinations.