Morocco breaks tourism record as arrivals hit 18 million

Morocco received 18 million tourists by the end of November 2025, surpassing the full year total for 2024 by more than 600,000 visitors, the tourism ministry said on Tuesday, calling it the strongest performance on record for the sector.

In a statement, the ministry said arrivals were up 13.5 percent from the same period last year, pointing to what it described as sustained momentum driven by air connectivity, overseas promotion and diversification of tourism products under the 2023 to 2026 roadmap.

Tourism minister Fatima Zahra Ammor said the results reflect steady progress and that the government expects a strong close to the year, with the Africa Cup of Nations set to generate additional travel in December.

The ministry said gains follow years of targeted investment in route expansion, marketing campaigns and development of new offerings across coastal cities, heritage destinations and inland areas.

Travel industry platform Travel and Tour World listed Morocco among destinations benefiting from a broad recovery in global travel this year, alongside Saudi Arabia, Malta, Qatar, El Salvador, Andorra, Serbia, Ethiopia, Colombia and Albania.

The platform said Morocco tourist flows were up about 35 percent compared with 2019, citing strong demand for historic city tourism in Marrakech and Fez, desert travel and hiking in the Atlas Mountains.

It also pointed to Morocco cultural mix and Roman heritage sites as factors widening appeal, alongside expanded infrastructure, visa facilitation and efforts to diversify leisure and cultural experiences.

The ministry said the latest results place Morocco on track to meet medium term targets set in the tourism roadmap, which links growth to job creation, regional development and foreign exchange earnings.

Officials said further capacity additions are planned in air transport and accommodation to sustain demand into 2026 and beyond, with a focus on regional dispersion and quality of services.