Billions in revenue... Will Morocco succeed in competing with Egypt and Saudi Arabia in tourism?

Written by: Mohammed Omran

He continues Morocco It is consolidating its position as one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Arab world and Africa, driven by rapid growth in visitor numbers and tourism sector revenues. During 2025, the Kingdom achieved tourism revenues of $14.8 billion, ranking third in the Arab world after Saudi Arabia and Egypt, according to data from the World Tourism Organization.

This remarkable performance reflects the success of the Moroccan strategy aimed at developing the tourism product, diversifying target markets, and enhancing the Kingdom’s attractiveness as a destination that combines natural, cultural, and historical assets.

Will Morocco succeed in competing with Egypt and Saudi Arabia in tourism?

This also confirms the continued momentum in the sector, at a time when tourism has become one of the most important drivers of the Moroccan economy and a major source of foreign currency and job opportunities.

With the highest growth rate in tourism revenues among the Arab countries covered by the report, Morocco continues to narrow the gap with the major players in the region, benefiting from an increase in international arrivals and its growing status as a leading tourist destination on the African continent.

The data showed that Morocco achieved the highest growth rate in tourism revenues among the Arab countries covered by the report, recording an annual increase of 29% in dollars, which reflects the continued momentum witnessed by the tourism sector in the Kingdom.

According to the ranking, Saudi Arabia topped the list of Arab countries in terms of tourism revenues with revenues of $42.6 billion, followed by Egypt with $18.2 billion, while Morocco came in third place with $14.8 billion, ahead of Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Lebanon and Kuwait.

This strong performance confirms the success of the Moroccan strategy aimed at developing the tourism sector and enhancing the Kingdom's attractiveness as a destination that combines natural, cultural and historical assets, and reflects the growing role of tourism as one of the most important drivers of the national economy.

Morocco also recorded the best annual performance compared to other Arab countries, outperforming Egypt, which achieved growth of 19%, Jordan, which achieved growth of 8%, and Bahrain, which achieved growth of 7%, while some markets witnessed a decline in tourism revenues, including Qatar and Kuwait.

Tourism revenues are projected to reach $14.8 billion by 2025, representing growth of 29%

Regarding tourist traffic, the World Tourism Organization indicated continued growth in the number of international arrivals to Morocco, with the number of visitors increasing by 14% during 2025, while preliminary indicators for 2026 indicate continued strong momentum, with Morocco maintaining its position among the fastest growing destinations in the world in terms of tourism spending and visitor flows, approaching new record levels compared to the previous year.

It ranks third in the Arab world and continues to consolidate its position. 

Morocco received 17.4 million foreign tourists during 2024, an increase of 20% compared to 2023 and 35% compared to 2019, maintaining its position as the most visited tourist destination in Africa.

Despite recording an increase of 29% in tourism revenues measured in dollars, the organization explained that there is a difference between the figures calculated in dollars and those estimated in the local currency, as national statistics indicate growth of 19%, a difference related to exchange rate fluctuations and different calculation methodologies.

The tourism sector has become one of the main pillars of the Moroccan economy, contributing 7.31 TP3T to the country’s GDP according to the latest available international data.

The synchronization between the rise in tourist numbers and the increase in tourism revenues reflects the growing importance of Morocco on the regional and global tourism map, while indicators for 2026 confirm the Kingdom’s continued status as one of the most prominent emerging tourist destinations globally, with expectations of recording new levels of growth in international tourism spending during the current year.