3 days ago
Why tourists are falling back in love with resurgent Morocco
I had started my week in Fes, at the World Sacred Music Festival, where I was seated in a royal ceremonial space, Bab Makina, watching whirling dervishes, chanting sufi sects, the angelic-voiced French mezzo-soprano, Battista Acquaviva, and the sama of Meknes whose rapturous polyphonic songs preserve some of the most beautiful Arabic poetry of Al-Andalus.
Watching with me was patron, HRH Princess Lalla Hasna, sister of King Mohammed VI. Italy was the guest of honour – a nod to Fes's twin city, Florence, and because the festival's theme was 'Renaissances'.
At the press briefing, the festival president, Abderrafie Zouiten, told us, 'We often hear that word and think of Italy – but Morocco, too, is undergoing its own revival.'
He's not wrong. A week after the festival, the ministry of tourism reported a record 5.7 million tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2025, a 23 per cent increase on the same period last year. The latter was also a record breaker, with Morocco ultimately welcoming a total of 17.1 million tourists in 2024, making it Africa's number one destination – ahead of both Egypt and South Africa.
Thanks to its reputation for hippies and hash, Morocco has always held a certain counter-cultural cachet. But in the early 1990s, when the Fes festival was established, that amounted to just 1 million travellers a year.
Since then, the country has navigated terrorist bombings (2003, 2011), the Arab Spring (2010-2012), the global financial crash, the Covid-19 pandemic and an earthquake (2023), only to emerge with what the World Trade Organisation considers one of the world's strongest tourism recoveries.
Driven by a glossy tourism campaign of cinematic ads and a globally celebrated semi-final finish in the 2022 World Cup, Morocco seems to have won the hearts and minds of the travelling public. So much so that it is now the place of choice for celebrity birthdays (Madonna) and weddings (Idris Elba), IMF conferences, blockbuster film shoots (Gladiator II and, it's rumoured, the new Spiderman), hit Netflix series (Inventing Anna, among others) and major sporting events, like the World Cup 2030, when Morocco aims to attract 26 million tourists.
When I stopped by Marrakech's famous Riad El Fenn to chat about its upcoming retreats, I discovered that the first Discover Colour event with interiors expert Sophie Robinson sold out in just an hour-and-a-half.
'What surprised me was how many solo female travellers we had,' Sophie told me. 'I think it shows how Morocco has evolved as a major design destination and has shaken off the reputation that it's not very female friendly.'
Back in Fes, I met Meryem Ameziane from Culture Insider to explore Fes's labyrinthine 8th-century medina – the oldest and most complex in the world. I asked whether Morocco's cultural revival and restoration of Unesco-listed sites had attracted travellers. She told me the people she meets come less for traditional tours, and more for experiences, seeking connection, immersion and escapism.
'Most tourists are curious to experience the way we live in this medieval city,' she said. 'They want to eat steamed chicken and vermicelli noodles at the food stalls in R'cif market or sit and chat with coppersmiths in Place Seffarine. Families love our workshops at the pottery cooperatives and everyone wants to buy saffron yellow babouche or a tailored Moroccan leather jacket in the oldest tannery in the world. It's this living culture they're looking for.'
As we traced a path through Fes's 9,700 alleys, we wandered past a unique 14th-century, weighted water clock that no modern mind can fix; bought sticky nougat from sweet carts around the golden tomb of Moulay Idriss II (the founder of Fes and a descendent of the prophet Mohammed); and finally ended in a crowd of faithful pouring into the University of al-Qarawiyyin (the oldest university in the world) to make their Friday prayers at the mosque, a ritual that has remained unchanged for more than a millennia.
Fes certainly has the cultural clout to rival its twin city Florence. It has dynasties to match the Medici; it has royal pageantry, ornate mausoleums and palace museums; it has colour and charm, food and craft, sophistication and unvarnished authenticity. The world of its medina – with its age-old rhythms – feels a million miles from the familiar, yet in reality, it's just three hours from the UK on Ryanair's new London to Fes flight.
Routes like this from budget airlines have undoubtedly played their part in Morocco's resurgence, too. In the last couple of years, 120 new flight routes have been added, connecting the country with dozens more regional European airports, as well as major cities in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the USA and South America.
From the UK, you can fly to Morocco from 14 airports with a choice of 28 airlines. Ryanair alone operates 24 international and 11 domestic routes.
The latter are transformational for those wanting to explore further. For example, you can fly from the pine-scented Mediterranean coast to the desert town of Ouarzazate in just over an hour; or take a two-hour flight from Marrakech to kite-surfing hotspot Dakhla (previously a 16-hour drive).
In March, I flew from Marrakech to off-the-beaten-track Tetouan to visit the wellness centre at the new Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay. It is Africa's first MediSpa and sits on an empty golden beach, winking at the crowded Spanish Costas across the water, and tempting high-rollers and spa junkies south.
It's just one of a slew of luxury and mid-range hotels and resorts – including Four Seasons, Hyatt Regency, Waldorf Astoria, Nobu, Fairmont and Hilton – that are opening around the country as part of a national strategy to raise Morocco's profile.
These new additions are poised to create sustainable growth with diverse, year-round culture, wellness, sports, music and adventure tourism offerings, from the balmy Mediterranean to the chilly peaks of the Atlas mountains and down to the endlessly, sunny shores of Agadir and the tangerine dunes of Erg Chebbi.
In Tangier, I asked designer and hotelier Jasper Conran – who owns two of Morocco's most beautiful boutique hotels, L'Hotel in Marrakech and Villa Mabrouka in Tangier – what he thinks of recent developments. 'I talk to a lot of influential people, and they are very aware of the cultural sensitivity around development,' he replied. 'They're also proud of their heritage and want to work with that. We have certainly benefitted from the careful urban restoration. Tangier is absolutely blooming.'
From Tangier, I took the high-speed train south to Casablanca with Bilal el Hammoumy, the co-founder of Inclusive Morocco, a young Moroccan-led luxury travel company. They have had to grow their team by 25 per cent in the last year to meet the flood of enquiries. So what's driving this sudden rush of popularity?
'I think travellers are searching for something real,' el Hammoumy told me. 'I think people are falling in love with the country because it challenges them, moves them and welcomes them in unexpected ways.'
Essentials
Ryanair, Jet2, easyJet and British Airways (among others) all fly direct from the UK to Marrakech, with returns from £39. Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay has doubles from £355 per night.
