Morocco dethrones Egypt, becomes main popular destination for tourist to Africa
Morocco has also capitalised on the legacy its national football team, who made history as the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022.
Morocco has crowned itself Africa’s most-visited destination, welcoming 17.4 million tourists in 2024—just a year after a deadly earthquake struck near its star destination, Marrakesh.
The milestone gives Morocco an edge over Egypt, which had long led the continent in tourism. Egypt also broke its own record, attracting 15.7 million visitors in 2024, but it wasn’t enough to hold on to first place.
Tourism revenue in Morocco also hit a new high in 2024, reaching $11 billion, up from $10.5 billion the previous year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
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.
While the recovery remains uneven, Morocco’s tourism ministry wants to break more records.
“These remarkable figures represent a major step towards our goal of positioning Morocco among the top 15 global tourist destinations”, Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor said in a press release last week.
Ammor highlighted several factors driving Morocco’s growth in a social media post, including the introduction of 120 airline routes in 2024—such as United Airlines’ Newark-Marrakech nonstop—and new luxury hotels from brands like Four Seasons and Nobu across the country.
Morocco has also leveraged the success of its national football team, the Atlas Lions, who made history as the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022.
The record-breaking year comes as Morocco prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from December 2025 to January 2026, an event expected to draw soccer fans worldwide.
By 2030, when Morocco is set to co-host the FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal, the country aims to welcome 26 million tourists annually—50 percent more than its current figures.
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