RABAT - 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.

(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)