Rabat – The hotels in the coastal city of Essaouira are completely booked out on new year’s eve, leaving no rooms available within 15 kilometers around the city.

President of the Essaouira Mogador Tarik Ottmani, told Morocco’s Press Agency (MAP), “On new year’s eve, Essaouira is fully booked. There is not a single room available within a radius of 15 kilometers around the city.”

Ottmani, who also serves as Essaouira’s mayor, made the remarks on the sidelines of the sixth Edition of Essaouira’s Jazz Under The Argan Tree festival.

Essaouira’s mayor explained that this performance reflects the strong tourism rebound that the city is experiencing in the post-COVID period.

He emphasized that statistics show that this comeback is “The most impressive in our country in terms of overnight stays and consistency because Essaouira has almost no season.”

Ottmani noted that these results were achieved despite the fact that the city had only recovered one-third of the airline connections it had prior to COVID-19.

Essaouira now has a dozen weekly direct flights connecting it to Paris, Brussels, London, Marseille, and other European cities, he said, whereas, before COVID-19, it had about 30 weekly direct connections.

He also highlighted that the city has broken attendance records as a result of the overwhelming success of various major events held throughout the year following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The city, known for its music festivals as well as its beautiful architecture, rich history, and windy beach, is one of Morocco’s most popular tourist destinations.

In 2022, the “city of wind” became the first destination to be labeled as “creative friendly” in Morocco and the African continent, with the  Creative Tourism Network (CTN) recognizing the Moroccan city’s rich history of promoting arts and socio-cultural diversity.

Read Also: Essaouira: First African Destination to Receive ‘Creative Friendly’ Label