Tourism receipts continued to climb, reaching a new high. In the first nine months of 2026, they totaled 115.257 billion dirhams, compared with 102.848 billion dirhams over the same period in 2025, according to the latest external trade figures from the Foreign Exchange Office.
Travel receipts now account for 43.9% of Morocco’s service exports, which reached a total of 262.49 billion dirhams by the end of September. The figures underline tourism’s importance as a source of foreign currency and its contribution to the Kingdom’s services trade balance.
The increase extends a steady upward trend over recent years. Tourism receipts rose from 64.3 billion dirhams at the end of September 2022 to 115.257 billion dirhams over the same period in 2026, representing growth of 79.2%.
The trend has accompanied Morocco’s growing appeal in international tourism markets. According to the Tourism Department, the Kingdom welcomed 15.7 million tourists between January and September 2026, a 5% increase compared with the same period last year. This represents more than 717,000 additional visitors.
In September alone, Morocco received more than 1.5 million tourists, up 8% year on year. The increase points to the sector’s ability to maintain strong activity beyond the peak tourist seasons.
European markets continue to account for the bulk of international arrivals. Data compiled by the Tourism Observatory for January-August 2026 put France at the top of the list of tourists’ countries of residence, with 4,284,405 arrivals, representing 30% of the total. This was a 7% increase compared with the same period in 2025.
Spain remained the second-largest source market, with 3,025,647 arrivals, or 21% of the total, despite a 4% year-on-year decline. The United Kingdom ranked third with 995,663 arrivals, up 6%, followed closely by Belgium with 978,562, an increase of 9%. Each accounted for 7% of international arrivals, with both markets outperforming the overall growth rate of 4.5% recorded over the period.
Italy completed the top five with 829,331 arrivals, up 5%, accounting for 6% of the total. The Netherlands followed with 729,567 tourists, an 8% increase, while Germany recorded 690,594 arrivals, up 11%. These three markets represented 6%, 5% and 5% of international arrivals, respectively.
Morocco has also benefited from rising visitor numbers from North America. The United States accounted for 341,361 arrivals between January and August 2026, up 7% from the same period a year earlier, representing 2% of the total.
Canada recorded 179,661 arrivals, an increase of 3%, giving it a 1% market share. Portugal also posted 3% growth, with 166,181 arrivals, representing 1% of the total.
International arrivals by country of residence at the end of August 2026. (Source: Tourism Observatory)
| Share | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 4,284,405 | 7% | 30% |
| Spain | 3,025,647 | -4% | 21% |
| United Kingdom | 995,663 | 6% | 7% |
| Belgium | 978,562 | 9% | 7% |
| Italy | 829,331 | 5% | 6% |
| Netherlands | 729,567 | 8% | 5% |
| Germany | 690,594 | 11% | 5% |
| United States | 341,361 | 7% | 2% |
| Canada | 179,661 | 3% | 1% |
| Portugal | 166,181 | 3% | 1% |
| Other countries | 1,926,898 | 7% | 14% |
| Total | 14,147,870 | 4.5% | 100% |
The results recorded by the end of September 2026 build on the strong performance of the previous year. According to the Foreign Exchange Office, tourism receipts reached 138.1 billion dirhams in 2025, up 20.6% year on year.
That increase came alongside a record number of visitors. Morocco welcomed 19.8 million tourists in 2025, a 14% rise compared with 2024. Arrivals were up 53% compared with 2019.
Read also : Tourism accounts for 7.5% of Morocco’s GDP as sector grows 11.7%
160 billion dirhams in 2027
The sector’s progress is also reflected in international rankings. In the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI), Morocco ranked 70th out of 110 economies, with a score of 3.84 out of seven. The Kingdom climbed seven places compared with the 2024 edition, while improving its score by 5.5%.
This was the largest improvement recorded by an African economy in the ranking. Since 2019, Morocco’s score has risen by 3.9%, compared with a 2.9% increase for the index as a whole. The Kingdom is among the eight economies that have made the strongest gains over that period.
The outlook remains positive. Bank Al-Maghrib projects that travel receipts will reach 160 billion dirhams in 2027, pointing to the tourism sector’s continued growth and its potential contribution to the Kingdom’s external revenue.
