Morocco Tops List of Foreign Destinations for French Travelers, Outpacing Spain and Italy

The Moroccan destination is still a hit in France. Based on a study commissioned by L’Écho touristique on the analysis of 126,382 tickets booked during the month of April, the ticketing site ranked Morocco at the top of the top 20 foreign destinations for France, ahead of Spain, Tunisia, Italy and Algeria. For René-Marc Chikli, president of the Union of Tour Operators (Seto), the powerful and devastating earthquake that occurred in the Marrakech region on September 8 did not undermine Moroccan tourism. On the contrary, Morocco has managed, since 2024, to reposition itself at the same growth level as 2019. The president of SETO justifies this Moroccan attractiveness by the hotel infrastructure and the air offer which continues to develop, indicates Médias24. "Between an air network that facilitates accessibility and the excellent communication of the ONMT (Moroccan National Tourist Office) on foreign markets like that of France, the result in terms of arrivals is there," he estimates.

According to the head of the travel agencies, this enthusiasm will continue during the next summer season and throughout the rest of the year, because the serenity that characterizes Morocco and the absence of internal repercussions during the events in the Middle East have, he explains, helped to reassure tourists, who feel confident in this Arab-Muslim destination. Moreover, the future domestic and international air openings and the extension of the high-speed train (LGV) to Marrakech and then to Agadir, which will facilitate the movement of tourists to several emerging destinations that are still largely underexploited, should also contribute to this dynamic. "Between its transversal air offer that will allow moving from one city to another and its growing hotel capacity that is developing throughout the territory, Morocco will have no trouble capturing new French market shares and positioning itself on the same upward trend as before the pandemic," analyzes Chikli.

In addition, the head of French travel agencies points out that Morocco is less and less a seasonal destination, especially during the end-of-year holidays and the summer season, with a continuous growth in French arrivals during the four seasons of the year. He will add: "While it is true that cities like Rabat and Tangier welcome more French tourists for short city-break stays, especially on weekends, all the other destinations like Marrakech, Agadir or Taghazout are more popular for longer stays."