Spanish Hotel Giants Expand in Morocco Amid Tourism Boom

According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Spanish hotel giants like Barceló, Riu, Iberostar and Meliá have set their sights on Morocco where they plan to strengthen their presence to take advantage of the tourism boom the kingdom is experiencing. For these four groups, Morocco is a popular destination due to its political and social stability compared to other countries in the region, analyzes the Spanish newspaper.

By the end of November 2023, Morocco has received 13.2 million tourists, exceeding the 12.9 million travelers recorded in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. A record that encourages major hotel groups to invest more in Morocco, explains the Spanish media, citing the example of Barceló, which already has eight hotels in Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangier, Fez and Agadir, but which announced in October an investment of more than 80 million euros for the acquisition and renovation of two 5-star hotels in Casablanca and Rabat.

Established in Morocco since 2002, the Riu group has six hotel establishments in Agadir, Marrakech and Taghazout, the same source points out, noting that the Iberostar hotel chain has three hotels in the kingdom. According to the Spanish newspaper, officials of the group have welcomed the "effective measures" taken by the Moroccan authorities to develop the tourism sector.

As for the Meliá group, it has a hotel in Marrakech and is studying new investment projects in the kingdom. In addition to these major Spanish hotel groups, Morocco is also attracting smaller chains like Inveravante, which already has five hotels in Tangier and Casablanca.