Bed occupancy recorded in Morocco's classified hotels during January rose by 10 percent compared with that of the same period in 2006, according to a statement released by the Moroccan tourism ministry on Tuesday.

 

Bed occupancy by non residents increased by 12 percent while that of residents increased 5 percent, according to the statement.

 

Concerning source markets, the statement singled out the performance of France which rose by 15 percent, a 43 percent upturn in the British market and the return of Scandinavian tourists which increased by 18 percent.

 

In January, tourism revenues grew by 1 percent to reach 4.3 billion dirhams (US$510 million) compared with 4.25 billion dirhams in January 2006.

 

Currently, Morocco has 600 bed and breakfast hotels (B&B) which have been registered and classified, with 463 of them in Marrakech, a southwestern city.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2007)