Evaluation of Tourism Investments in the Northeast of Morocco: Perspectives and Limits

Abstract

The recent development of tourism in the north-east of Morocco and the renewed interest in the tourist potential of some of its sites have generated notable tourist dynamism. Considerable investments, exceeding 6124.14 million US dollars until 2020, have been devoted to the tourist development of its coast (Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Morocco: CMO), with the aim of making this sector a driver of socio-economic development for these areas. This article aims to evaluate this development objective by examining the economic and social effects of these investments, notably the creation of wealth and jobs. In conclusion, the investments in question, as well as the hopes placed in them for the development of the Oriental region, proved incapable, particularly due to the seasonality of tourist activity, of constituting an engine of development for the Moroccan north-east.