by Dr. Rudolf Thaler (†)
His Majesty King Mohammed VI vision turned Morocco into a popular tourist destination and Africa’s most visited country. UN Tourism Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili sees Morocco “not only as premier tourist destination but also as a global exemplar of sustainable tourism and investment”.
Tourism is booming
In 2024, Morocco surpassed Egypt as Africa’s most visited country, welcoming a record 17.4 million visitors. From the vibrant historic cities like Marrakesh and Casablanca, the Sahara desert to serene beaches, Morocco offers experiences for every type of traveller.
Morocco’s tourism sector has become a key economic driver, contributing 7.3% to Morocco’s GDP in 2023, with a remarkable 35% increase in international arrivals since 2019 and USD 10.5 billion in tourism revenue. The revenues in the tourism sector reached 9.6 billion USD in the first eight months of 2025.
High profile events will attract more visitors. Morocco’s national football team made history by winning the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile. The World Championship 2025 title showed the effectiveness of His Majesty’s initiatives and reflects Morocco’s growing stature among the global football elite. Morocco is the first Arab nation to win the tournament. The team’s success has boosted the nation’s international profile. Morocco will co-host the Africa Cup of Nations in December 2025 and January 2026, and the FIFA World Cup in 2030. Morocco expects a record of 26 million visitors by 2030.
A hub for tourism innovation in Africa
Morocco hosts Africa’s first UN Tourism Innovation Office in Rabat. It will serve as a hub advancing innovation in tourism across the continent. UN Tourism also partnered with Morocco to establish a Thematic Office for tourism to boost the sector in Africa.
Prime investment destination in tourism
UN Tourism officially launched 2025 in Rabat “Tourism Doing Business – Investing in Morocco”, emphasizing the Kingdom as a prime investment destination in tourism. With a decade of 2.5% average economic growth, Morocco has emerged as the fifth largest country in Africa by GDP.
Tourism is the third largest recipient sector of foreign direct investment (FDI), illustrating the attractiveness of the sector. On average, 9.1% of FDI inflow was invested directly in Morocco’s tourism sector per year since 2007. Morocco attracted greenfield FDI commitments totalling USD 1.9 billion in the tourist sector between 2018 and 2024. The Kingdom leads the region accounting for 22% of the announced capital expenditure.
Best of the World 2026: Rabat
National Geographic picked Rabat as one of “The best places in the world to travel to in 2026”. The relaxed Atlantic-coast capital “is both an ancient imperial city and a cosmopolitan metropolis”. Don’t miss the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Rabat has been recognized by UNESCO as the 2026 World Book Capital.
CNN travel featured Morocco in it’s “Where to go in 2024” article as top destination, highlighting also Morocco’s standing as leader in sustainable tourism.
Diplomatic SOCIETY featured “Morocco: Europe’s gateway to Africa” (No 385, p.70), highlighting Morocco as strategic hub for the North African region and the continent, as attractive partner for European industries, as leading car manufacturer in Africa and the Europe Union’s No 1 automotive supplier and pioneer of green economy in Africa.
Photos above: Lauranne Taillefumier / below: unsplash