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Morocco to Spend $580 Mln to Attract More Tourists

People walk past a solar tree that generates energy using panels, in front of the landmark Kotoubia mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP)
People walk past a solar tree that generates energy using panels, in front of the landmark Kotoubia mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP)
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Morocco to Spend $580 Mln to Attract More Tourists

People walk past a solar tree that generates energy using panels, in front of the landmark Kotoubia mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP)
People walk past a solar tree that generates energy using panels, in front of the landmark Kotoubia mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP)

Morocco plans to spend 6.1 billion dirhams ($580 mln) up to 2026 to develop its tourism sector in order to attract more visitors and bring in hard currency, the government said on Friday.

The government plans to spend more money on marketing, develop more types of attractions for tourists, upgrade hotels and build new ones, and train more people to work in the sector, the prime minister's office said.

It aims to attract 17.5 million tourists by 2026, up from 11 million last year. In 2019 Morocco had 13 million visitors.

The plan would help create 200,000 new jobs in the sector over the next four years, the government said.

Last year, the sector's revenue more than doubled compared to 2021 to 91 billion dirhams, exceeding 2019 levels.

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China Vows Tougher Action against Smuggling of Strategic Minerals

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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China Vows Tougher Action against Smuggling of Strategic Minerals

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

China vowed on Saturday to step up a crackdown and toughen law enforcement against smuggling of strategic minerals seen as vital to national security and critical for development.

The remarks by the commerce ministry came a day after the state security ministry accused foreign spy agencies of having tried to "steal" rare earths and pledged to crack down on infiltration and espionage targeting the critical sector.

The world's largest supplier of dozens of strategic minerals, China began imposing export curbs in 2023 on supplies vital to sectors ranging from chipmaking and the energy transition to defense.

The commerce ministry remarks, describing smuggling and export of strategic minerals as a severe problem to be combated, came at a meeting of officials responsible for export control coordination and other government bodies.

"Cases of smuggling by a small number of criminals for their own selfish interests and collusion between domestic and foreign parties are still occurring," it said in a statement.

Evasive methods such as false declarations and third-country transshipment were taking on increasingly covert forms, it added, urging government bodies to prevent illegal outflows of strategic minerals and related technologies.

China has adopted a "zero-tolerance" approach to smuggling and export of strategic minerals, which it will fight with a heavy hand, through special efforts to toughen law enforcement, the ministry said.

In May China said it would strengthen controls on the entire supply chains of strategic mineral exports while tightening its grip on materials deemed crucial to national interest.

Earlier, Beijing launched a special campaign to tackle smuggling of strategic minerals such as gallium, germanium, antimony, tungsten and some rare earths.