Morocco Misses Opportunity to Boost Tourism from 8.6 Million Expats

Lack of diversification in tourism offerings, under-exploitation of emerging markets such as North America, Gulf countries or Scandinavian countries, insufficient air connections, especially low-cost ones, high ticket prices, particularly for families... These are all structural factors that make it difficult for Morocco to benefit from Moroccans Residing Abroad (MRE). Last year, they represented nearly 49% of tourist arrivals in Morocco. In total, 8.6 million MRE returned to the country in 2024, an annual increase of 17%, while the number of visitors rose to 17.4 million, including 8.8 million foreign tourists, an increase of 23%.

About 80% of tourists come from Europe, particularly France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. But hotels and restaurants don’t truly benefit from these arrivals because the majority of MRE stay in their own homes or with relatives. This trend partly explains why the increase in the number of visitors doesn’t always translate into a proportional increase in overnight stays, comments Hamid Bergache, tourism expert for Finances News Hebdo magazine. According to him, "Morocco ranks 53rd globally in terms of yield per tourist, with an average of 650 dollars per visitor" while Egypt, with 15.7 million tourists in 2024, shows a higher average revenue per tourist, ranking 40th globally and recording a 22% growth in receipts, compared to 2.4% for the kingdom.

The air travel offer needs to be strengthened. "It is necessary to expand the air travel offer, particularly from countries where MRE communities reside, in order to stimulate tourism demand," says Hamid Bergache.

Moreover, the under-exploitation of emerging markets, such as North America, Gulf countries, or Scandinavian countries where large Moroccan communities are found, represents a loss of earnings for Morocco, as these markets have strong potential, particularly due to the high purchasing power of their nationals.