Morocco becomes main popular destination for tourist to Africa
Morocco becomes main popular destination for tourist to Africa with 17.4 million visitors expected in 2024
The milestone offers Morocco an advantage over Egypt, which has historically led the continent in tourism. Egypt also broke its own record, attracting 15.7 million visitors in 2024, but it wasn’t enough to maintain first place.
Morocco’s tourism revenue will reach a new high of $11 billion in 2024, up from $10.5 billion the previous year.
While no central organization tracks arrival figures for all African states, UN Tourism data reveals North African countries consistently dominate.
Egypt, with its pyramids ,Nile , Morocco, and famous for its mountains, medinas and celebrated cuisine stand out on the continent.
Safari destinations in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as South Africa and Botswana,
Also receive far fewer visitors and generate only a fraction of North Africa’s tourism revenue.
Morocco’s 2024 numbers mark a 20 percent rise from 2023 and a more than 33 percent increase from pre-pandemic 2019 levels, when the country welcomed 13 million tourists. This surge has also put Morocco two years ahead of its tourism projections.
The rebound has been especially noticeable in Marrakesh, Morocco’s most visited city, which has recovered from both the Covid-19 tourism slowdown and the deadly September 2023 earthquake.
“We struggled after the earthquake. But today, things are better than ever. We’ve been fully booked for “People are returning to enjoy the beauty of Marrakech,”
Said Nassim Ait Said, manager of Riad Nelia, a boutique hotel in Marrakech’s old square.
According to critics, the government has provided no explanations or assurances.
While the rebound is uneven, Morocco’s tourist ministry hopes to set more records.
“These remarkable figures represent a significant step towards our goal of establishing Morocco as one of the top 15 global tourist destinations,” Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor stated in a press release last week.
To enter the top 15, Morocco would have to outperform countries such as Japan, which welcomed 25 million international tourists in 2023, the most recent year for which UN data is available.
Ammor highlighted several factors driving Morocco’s growth in a social media post.
The introduction of 120 airline routes in 2024—such as United Airlines and new luxury hotels from brands like Four Seasons
Morocco has also leveraged the success of its national football team, the Atlas Lions, who created history as the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022.
Their success is now incorporated into Morocco’s tourism advertising.
Trailers showcasing the Atlas Lions greet visitors at Marrakech airport and murals of Achraf Hakimi’s Panenka .
The record-breaking year comes as Morocco prepares to host the (AFCON) from December 2025 to January 2026.
Morocco hopes to host the FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal in 2030.
Compiled by,
World Travel News, Gorilla Trekking Uganda and Gorilla Trekking Rwanda
