Tourism in Morocco is well developed, maintaining a strong tourist industry focused on the country's coast, culture, and history. The Moroccan government created a Ministry of Tourism in 1985.^[1] Tourism is considered one of the main foreign exchange sources inMorocco and since 2013 it had the highest number of arrivals out of the countries in Africa.^[2] In 2024, according to the Ministry of Tourism, a record annual total of 17.4 million tourists visited Morocco, up 20% compared to 2023.^[3]

Yearly tourist arrivals in millions^[4][5]

In the second half of the 1980s and the early 1990s, between 1 and 1.5 million Europeans visited Morocco. Most of these visitors wereFrench orSpanish, with about 100,000 each fromBritain,Italy,Germany, and theNetherlands. Tourists mostly visited large beach resorts along theAtlantic coast, particularlyAgadir. About 20,000 people fromSaudi Arabia visited, some of whom bought holiday homes. Receipts from tourism fell by 16.5% in 1990, the year theGulf War began. In 1994, Algeria closed its border with Morocco after theMarrakech attack, which caused the number of Algerian visitors to fall considerably; there were 70,000 visitors in 1994 and 13,000 in 1995, compared to 1.66 million in 1992 and 1.28 million in 1993. In 2017, there were 10.3 million tourist arrivals, compared with about 10.1 million in 2016, a 1.5% year-over-year increase. 30% of the tourists were one of the 3.8 million Moroccans living abroad. Marrakech itself had over 2 million visitors in 2017.^[6] In 2019, more than 13 million tourists visitedMorocco. In 2020, Morocco witnessed an all-time low with no more than 4 million tourists, due to the spread ofCOVID-19.^[7] In 2023, Marrakech was voted a Top 10 Best Destinations for International Tourists byTripadvisor.^[8] In 2023, Morocco set a new record for the number of tourists visiting, reaching 13.2 million, breaking the former record of 12.9 million that was set in 2019.^[9]

Tourist receipts in 2007 totaledUS$7.55 billion. Tourism is the second largest foreign exchange earner in Morocco, after thephosphate industry. The Moroccan government is heavily investing in tourism development.^[10] A new tourism strategy called Vision 2010 was developed after the accession ofKing Mohammed VI in 1999. The government targeted that Morocco will have 10 million visitors by 2010, with the hope that tourism will then have risen to 20% of GDP. Government-sponsored marketing campaigns to attract tourists advertised Morocco as a cheap, exotic, and safe place for European tourists.^{[citation needed]}

Morocco's relatively high number of tourists has been aided by its location, tourist attractions, and relatively low price. Cruise ships visit the ports of Casablanca and Tangier. Morocco is close to Europe and attracts visitors to its beaches. Because of its proximity to Spain, tourists in southern Spain's coastal areas take one- to three-day trips to Morocco. Marrakesh and Agadir are the top two destinations in the country.^[11] Air services between Morocco and Algeria have been established, many Algerians have gone to Morocco to shop and visit family and friends. Morocco is relatively inexpensive because of the interestingdirham exchange rate compared to major currencies and the increase of hotel prices in neighborhood Spain. Morocco has an excellent road and rail infrastructure that links the major cities and tourist destinations with ports and cities with international airports. Low-cost airlines offer cheap flights to the country.

The "Plan Azur", is a large-scale project initiated by King Mohammed VI, is meant to provide for creating six coastal resorts for holiday-home owners and tourists (five on the Atlantic coast and one on the Mediterranean), the Daily Telegraph noted. The plan also includes other large-scale development projects such as upgrading regional airports to attract budget airlines, and building new train and road links. Through these efforts the country achieved an 11% percent rise in tourism in the first five months of 2008 compared with the same period the previous year, it said, adding that French visitors topped the list with 927,000 followed by Spaniards (587,000) and Britons (141,000). Morocco, which is close to Europe, has a mix of culture and the exotic that makes it popular with Europeans buying holiday homes.^{[citation needed]}

The country's attractions can be divided into seven regions:^[12]

• The four Imperial cities — the four historical capital cities of Morocco:Fez,Marrakesh,Meknes andRabat
• Casablanca — Morocco's largest city; home of theHassan II Mosque, which has the world's second tallest minaret at 656 feet^[13]
• Tangier and the surrounding area
• Ouarzazate — a noted film-making location; the fortified village (ksar) ofAit Benhaddou west of the city is aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site^[14]
• Agadir and its beach resorts
• Tarfaya and its beach resorts
• Fez – Morocco's second largest city and it is the science and spiritual capital of Morocco.^[15] It contains an old area which is considered the biggest area in the world where vehicles can't get in. It is also the home of "Al Qarawyien" the world's oldest university.
• Merzouga – Merzouga is a small village in southeastern Morocco, about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Rissani, about 55 km (34 mi) from Erfoud and about 50 km (31 mi) from ...
• Agafay – The Agafay desert is a desert located about thirty kilometers from the red city of Marrakech, on the first heights of the High Atlas massif in Morocco. This is areg several hundred hectares in area. It is covered with stones and rocks in a hilly environment of white and ochre-coloured dunes.

While Morocco was a French Protectorate (from 1912 to 1956) tourism was focused on urban areas such as the Mediterranean cities of Tangier and Casablanca. Tangier attracted many writers, such asEdith Wharton,Jack Kerouac,Paul Bowles, andWilliam S. Burroughs. There was a period of beach resort development at places such as Agadir on the Atlantic coast in the 1970s and 1980s.^[16]

Tourism is increasingly focused on Morocco's culture, such as its ancient cities. The modern tourist industry capitalizes on Morocco's ancient Roman and Islamic sites, and on its landscape and cultural history. 60% of Morocco's tourists visit for its culture and heritage.^[16]

Agadir is a major coastal resort and has a third of all Moroccan bed nights. It is a base for tours to theAtlas Mountains.^[12] Other resorts in north Morocco are also very popular.^[17] Casablanca is the major cruise port in Morocco, and has the best developed market for tourists in Morocco.^[12]

As of 2006, activity and adventure tourism in the Atlas andRif Mountains are the fastest growth area in Moroccan tourism. These locations have excellent walking and trekking opportunities from late March to mid-November.^[16] The government is investing in trekking circuits. They are also developing desert tourism in competition withTunisia.^[16]

Morocco is home to nine UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites.

Fez was thecapital city of modern Morocco until 1925 and is now the capital of theFès-Meknès administrative region. The city has two oldmedina quarters, the larger of which isFes el Bali. It is listed as aWorld Heritage Site and is believed to be one of the world's largest urbanpedestrian zones (car-free areas).^[27]University of Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859, is the oldest continuously functioninguniversity in the world.^[28][29] The city has been called the "Mecca of the West" and the "Athens of Africa", a nickname it shares withCyrene inLibya.^[30]

Fez is a popular tourist destination and many non-Moroccans are now restoring traditional houses (riads and dars) as second homes in the Fez medina. The most important monuments in the city are:

• Bou Inania Madrasa
• Al-Attarine Madrasa
• University of Al Quaraouiyine
• Zaouia Moulay Idriss II
• Dar al-Magana
• Ibn Danan Synagogue

Marrakech in central Morocco is a popular tourist destination, but is more popular among tourists for one- and two-day excursions that provide a taste of Morocco's history and culture.^[17] TheMajorelle botanical garden in Marrakech is a popular tourist attraction. It was bought by the fashion designerYves Saint-Laurent andPierre Bergé in 1980. Their presence in the city helped to boost the city's profile as a tourist destination.^[31]

Tangier, formerly the International Zone from 1923 to 1956, is a city in north of Morocco. Formerly part of theSpanish Protectorate in Morocco, Tangier is a blend of Spanish, Moroccan, and Berber cultures. Famous tourist sites in the city and near it include theTangier-American Legation, Hercules Cave, the Kasbah museum, the Perdicaris Parc, theMusée de Carmen-Macein,Museum of Moroccan Arts and Antiquities,Museum of Contemporary Art, theGrand Socco, thePetit Socco, andGran Teatro Cervantes.

El Jadida, formerly called Mazagan by the Portuguese, was registered as aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, on the basis of its status as an "outstanding example of the interchange of influences between European and Moroccan cultures" and as an "early example of the realisation of the Renaissance ideals integrated with Portuguese construction technology". According to UNESCO,^[32] the most important buildings from the Portuguese period are the cistern, and theManueline Church of the Assumption. El Jadida is also home to the annual Salon du Cheval–the largest horse expo in Africa.^[33]

Caution is advised^[34] due to terrorism. Recent examples areApril 2011 terrorist attacks in Marrakesh, theMurders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland inImlil December 2018.

• Economy of Morocco
• Investment in Morocco
• Museums in Morocco
• Plan Azur
• Surfing in Morocco
• Visa policy of Morocco