Hotels, investments, visitors: why 2025 marks a turning point for tourism in Morocco

The year 2025 will go down in history. By the end of November, the Kingdom welcomed 18 million tourists, propelling the sector’s GDP up 38% compared to 2019 (7.3% of national GDP). On the financial side, the performance is just as spectacular: travel receipts reached 113.26 billion dirhams as early as October, already exceeding the previous year’s total.

To absorb this influx, the hotel park is expanding and upgrading. With 43,000 new beds created, the national capacity has crossed the 304,000-bed mark. The strategy clearly targets the high-end: 4 and 5-star hotels now account for 53% of the classified supply. Modernization is keeping pace, with 69,000 renovated beds, a dynamic that has allowed, for example, the reopening of 11 closed hotels in Ouarzazate.

Capital is pouring in, with 8 billion dirhams invested in 2025, but the distribution remains uneven. Casablanca-Settat (32%) and Marrakech-Safi (30%) capture the majority of the funds. Rabat (15%), however, is making its mark thanks to the establishment of major international brands.

Finally, SMIT is no longer content to just build walls. The agency has supported nearly 1,500 entertainment projects (ecotourism, gastronomy, traditional villages) to satisfy travelers who, according to the latest surveys, now come first to "discover Morocco" before even seeking the sun.