Morocco's 2009 service exchange balance registers $5 bln surplus

    Earnings from these services stood at 97.6 billion dirhams, down 5.6%, while expenses stood at 56.3% billion dirhams, rising by 8.6%, the Office said in its monthly indicators of Morocco’s eternal exchange.

    Regarding the tourism sector, travel receipts reached 52.8 billion dirhams, recording a decline of 5% compared with 2008.

    Tourist earnings posted, however, a 8.9% increase compared with the average of 2004 and 2008, with 48.5 billion dirhams, it said.

    As to travel expenses, they rose by 2.8% to stand at around 8.7 billion dirhams in 2009.

    Revenues generated by transport, communication and call centres services reached 16 billion dirhams (-16.6%), 5.4 billion dirhams (+9.8%) and 3.3 billion dirhams (+13%) respectively.

    The Office’s figures show a decline of 5.3% in Moroccan expatriates’ remittances, with 50.2 billion dirhams against 53 billion dirhams a year earlier.