Morocco has announced a 5.6 percent drop in foreign tourist arrivals for the first half of 2016, with holidaymakers apparently put off by unrest and attacks across the region. Tourism is a backbone of the North African country's economy, along with revenues from exports and the remittances of Moroccans who work abroad.
Morocco has been spared unrest triggered by the Arab Spring revolts that have rocked North Africa and the Middle East since 2011, as well as attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group. But the number of tourist arrivals dropped by 5.6 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same period in 2015, said the Moroccan tourism office.