Morocco tourism revenue per visitor lower than Spain Turkey Egypt

Morocco welcomed 19.8 million visitors in 2025, compared to 17.4 million a year earlier, representing a 13.7% increase. The Kingdom thus exceeded by one year its target of 17.5 million tourists set for 2026.

On Bladi.net : Morocco Tourism Boom: Foreign Visitors Surpass MRE in 2024

Travel receipts followed this progression, increasing by 21.1% to reach 138.6 billion dirhams. However, when calculated per arrival, Morocco’s performance remains significantly lower than several competing destinations.

According to Bank Al-Maghrib’s 2025 annual report, which relies on data from the World Tourism Organization, a visitor generates an average of 747 dollars in Morocco, compared to 1,176 dollars in Spain, 968 dollars in Turkey and 947 dollars in Egypt. The gap with Spain thus reaches 429 dollars per arrival.

MREs counted as tourists

Part of this difference stems from the very particular composition of arrivals in Morocco. Approximately half of the people crossing borders as visitors are Moroccans residing abroad.

However, MREs generally spend part of their stay in their own accommodation or with relatives. They therefore generate far fewer hotel nights and stays in other tourist establishments than typical foreign visitors.

This does not mean they do not spend in Morocco. They consume in shops, restaurants, transport or services and can make significant purchases during their stay. However, a large portion escapes tourist accommodation, one of the main expense items for a foreign traveler.

This peculiarity also affects the average length of stay calculated from hotel nights. This does not exceed 1.6 nights in Morocco, compared to 2.3 nights in Italy and 3.3 nights in Spain. The report specifies that this indicator results from the ratio between nights recorded in classified establishments and arrivals at borders: it is therefore mechanically lowered by MREs accommodated free of charge.

Bank Al-Maghrib also notes Morocco’s strong dependence on European markets, particularly France and Spain. Proximity encourages more frequent trips, but often shorter ones. Conversely, tourists from the United States, Canada or China are likely to stay longer and spend more.

On Bladi.net : Morocco Tourism Surpasses Diaspora Remittances in 2026

The Moroccan tourism model remains moreover more oriented toward urban and cultural stays than toward long beach vacations. Despite its 3,500 kilometers of coastline, international beach offerings remain primarily concentrated in Agadir. Morocco’s next challenge will therefore no longer be simply attracting more visitors, but convincing them to stay longer and spend more.