More than half of tourists in Morocco are Moroccans living abroad

The integration of the Moroccan diaspora in the official statistics is not a national specificity, but it is part of a solid international methodological framework, adopted by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), said Fatim-Zahra Ammor. Explaining that it is a recognition of the structuring role played by the Moroccan community established abroad in the dynamics of the sector, she took care to recall that, for nearly twenty-four years, the MRE have represented between 46% and 54% of the total volume of tourist arrivals in Morocco. According to the minister, the kingdom does not have the monopoly on this. All the major tourist destinations around the world apply the same rule by integrating their own diaspora in their statistics, she stressed.

Supporting her argument, Ammor cited the example of countries like France or Portugal, which also include their nationals established abroad among tourists. In some cases, the diaspora even exceeds the number of foreign visitors, she specified. Her ambition, she said, is to reach the threshold of 20 million tourists. She nevertheless acknowledges that this objective remains modest compared to other destinations such as Spain, which had crossed this bar as early as 1970 thanks to a sustained and sustainable investment strategy in the sector. The minister also recalled that Morocco welcomed 15 million tourists by the end of September 2025, and generated more than 100 billion dirhams in foreign exchange earnings by the end of August of the same year.

According to her, these results have contributed to the creation of new jobs, an axis considered a priority for her department.