Morocco tourism statistics: a record 19.8 million visitors, and what it means for your trip
A record 19.8 million arrivals in 2025, nearly half of them Moroccans living abroad: what the official figures say, and what they change for your trip to Morocco.
By Ismail5 min read
Morocco recorded 19.8 million tourist arrivals in 2025, a record and 14% more than in 2024, according to its Ministry of Tourism, and 15.7 million in the first nine months of 2026, 5% more than a year earlier. Nearly half of the people counted are Moroccans who live abroad and come home to visit, which is why the summer months look so big on paper. Here is what the official figures say, and what they change in practice for a trip, seen from our base in Marrakech.
The numbers: from 14.5 to almost 20 million
| Year | Arrivals | Change on the year before |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 14.5 million | +34% |
| 2024 | 17.4 million | +20% |
| 2025 | 19.8 million | +14% |
| 2026, January to September | 15.7 million | +5% on the same months of 2025 |
These are arrivals at the border, counted by the Ministry of Tourism and its Observatoire du tourisme. The 2025 total is about 53% higher than in 2019, the last year before the pandemic. The 17.4 million of 2024 already reached the goal the government had set for 2026, two years early, and the official target is now 26 million arrivals by 2030. Spending is rising even faster: travel receipts reached 124 billion dirhams (about €11.5 billion) from January to November 2025, up 19%.
Is Morocco the most visited country in Africa?
On these figures, yes, for the second year running. Egypt announced a record of about 19 million tourists for 2025, up 21%, just behind Morocco; in 2024, Morocco had overtaken Egypt (15.7 million) for the first time. Countries don't all count visitors the same way, though, and Morocco's total includes its own citizens who live abroad.
Who are the visitors? Almost half are Moroccans living abroad
Morocco counts Moroccans resident abroad, known locally as MRE (Marocains résidant à l'étranger), among its arrivals. In 2024, the latest year with an official full-year split, there were 8.8 million foreign tourists (51%, up 23%) and 8.6 million Moroccans living abroad (49%, up 17%). In 2023, the diaspora was still slightly in the majority.
That explains the summer peak. Opération Marhaba, the state's welcome programme for the diaspora, counted about 4.1 million Moroccans living abroad arriving over the summer of 2026. In July 2025, 1.8 million of the 2.7 million arrivals were Moroccans living abroad, against 875,000 foreign tourists, and in August 2026 arrivals passed 2 million for the first time in an August. Many of these visitors stay with family or in their own homes rather than in hotels: Marrakech's classified hotels and guesthouses were 78% full in May 2026, but 63% full in July.
By country, France is far ahead, with about 3.6 million arrivals from January to July 2026, close to a third of the total, followed by Spain with 2.6 million (down 3%). The published figures by country don't say how many of these travellers are Moroccans living there. In the first half of 2026, the fastest growth came from Poland (+32%), Germany (+14%), the Netherlands (+10%) and the United States (+9%).
2026 so far
By the end of September 2026, Morocco had welcomed 15.7 million visitors, about 717,000 more than a year earlier. Growth has slowed from 14% to about 5%, but September alone passed 1.5 million arrivals, up 8%. The ministry announces its running total about a week after each month ends, and the end-of-October figure was not yet out when we wrote this, in early November 2026. The Observatoire du tourisme publishes the monthly figures.
Where everyone goes: Marrakech
Marrakech takes the largest share by far. In 2025, its classified hotels and guesthouses recorded 13.66 million nights, 31% of the national total of 43.4 million, and were 73% full on average, against 58% for the country as a whole. Marrakech-Menara airport handled 10.2 million passengers, 28% of Morocco's air traffic, and nights in the city were up again in 2026 (+10% to the end of July).
Other places are growing faster from a smaller base. From January to November 2025, nights rose 27% in Ouarzazate, 22% in Errachidia province, which includes Merzouga and the dunes of Erg Chebbi, and 12% in Fes, while Essaouira passed one million nights for the first time.
What it means for your trip
Is Morocco overcrowded?
Not as a whole. The crowds gather in a few places at predictable times: Jemaa el-Fna in the evening, the main souk streets of the Marrakech medina, the best-known sights in the middle of the day, and riads and desert camps during European school holidays. The trekking routes of the Atlas and the Jebel Saghro feel very different, record or no record.
Book the peak weeks early
For foreign visitors, the busiest weeks are Christmas to New Year and Easter (28 March in 2027), then the second half of October, with the French and British autumn school holidays. Riads have only a handful of rooms, and both riads and desert camps are at their dearest and fill first on those dates, so book months rather than weeks ahead; our guide to where to stay in Marrakech compares the areas. Some sights sell timed tickets: the Jardin Majorelle sells online only, and slots can run out.
Go early
In Marrakech, we suggest being at the best-known sights when they open (8:00 at the Jardin Majorelle) and keeping the middle of the day for a long lunch or the riad's roof terrace.
Choose quieter months and routes
The quietest periods are January after the first week, June, and November. July and August belong to the diaspora: the ferries from Spain, the roads to the north and the beaches are busy, but Marrakech's hotels are less full than in spring, and the inland heat is the real drawback. Our guide to the best time to visit Morocco goes through it month by month.
To leave the crowds behind altogether, walk. The Jebel Saghro trek, in a volcanic range between the Atlas and the Sahara, is one of the quietest in the country and at its best from October to April. The Mount M'Goun trek is a less crowded alternative to Toubkal, best from June to October, and the Rose Valley trek links villages and gorges around Kelaat M'Gouna in spring and autumn. A private, tailor-made tour also lets you plan each day around the quieter hours.
What's coming: 26 million by 2030
The government is aiming for 26 million arrivals by 2030, and the infrastructure is following. In 2025, Marrakech-Menara already handled more passengers than its capacity of about 9 million a year; its terminal is being enlarged to take 16 million, with the work due before 2028, so until then allow extra time at the airport at busy times. New air routes keep opening, including nonstop flights from the United States. The high-speed train to Marrakech is due in late 2029, and the 2030 World Cup, shared with Spain and Portugal and expected in June and July 2030, will bring a peak of its own.
If your dates fall in a busy week, send them to us on WhatsApp or through our contact page: we'll tell you honestly how busy it will be, and what to book first.