Assahafa.com
Morocco is expecting to welcome between 75,000 and 80,000 Indian visitors in 2026, capitalizing on sustained momentum from a rapidly expanding source market.
The North African country received 54,000 Indian travelers in 2025, a 31% increase from the 41,000 visitors recorded in 2024, indicating the world’s most populous country’s emergence as one of Morocco’s fastest-growing long-haul markets.
This growth trajectory is closely tied to the strategic expansion of the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) in India. Since establishing its India operations in 2023, the tourism authority has rolled out targeted promotional campaigns and forged partnerships with Indian tour operators – efforts that fueled a remarkable 123% surge in Indian arrivals in 2024 alone.
“The main reason for this growth can be attributed to our promotions, which began two years back in 2023, and the e-visa facility,” said Jamal Younes Kilito, ONMT Country General Manager for India, in an interview with Press Trust of India (PTI), noting that the streamlined e-visa process takes from a few hours to four working days.
The rise of the Indian market coincides with a record-breaking year for Moroccan tourism overall. In 2025, the country welcomed approximately 19.8 million tourists, marking a 14% year-on-year increase.
Tourism receipts also surged, reaching around MAD 124 billion ($12.4 billion) during the first 11 months of the year, up 19% annually, while year-end official communications placed total tourism foreign-currency revenues at approximately MAD 138 billion ($13.8 billion) – a sign of both volume growth and higher value capture per visitor.
Looking ahead to 2026, Morocco’s India strategy is increasingly segment-driven. Group travel remains a priority, with one in five Indian visitors currently opting for organized tours. The ONMT is also intensifying its focus on MICE tourism, destination weddings, young couples, and Free Independent Travellers (FITs).
“We are looking at promoting Morocco for the well-travelled older travellers, who are over 50 years of age,” Kilito said, adding that the ultimate goal is to reach 100,000 Indian visitors as quickly as possible.
The subcontinent now ranks among Morocco’s top 20 source markets globally and holds second place among Asian markets, behind China. France remains Morocco’s leading source market, followed by Spain, the UK, Germany, and the Benelux countries.
“Looking at the current growth momentum, we expect India to reach the top 10 rankings in a few years,” Kilito noted. While no direct flights currently link Morocco and India, connectivity is supported through a dense network of Middle Eastern and European hubs.
During the February 5-7 run of Outbound Travel Market (OTM) 2026 in Mumbai, Morocco received the Award of Excellence for best pavilion design.
This market expansion aligns squarely with Morocco’s 2030 tourism vision, which targets 26 million annual visitors. The 2023-2026 Tourism Roadmap prioritizes product development, air connectivity, service quality, and territorial destination branding.
Parallel investments aim to raise national airport capacity to 80 million passengers by 2030, up from roughly 38 million today, in preparation for sustained tourism growth and the country’s 2030 World Cup co-hosting role.
Alongside physical infrastructure, Morocco is simultaneously upgrading service standards, visitor-flow management, digital payment systems, and the overall urban experience – positioning tourism as a long-term pillar of economic transformation rather than a short-term rebound story.
Source: Morocco word news
