The Moroccan Parliament witnessed a heated debate on Monday during a session dedicated to the head of government’s monthly Q&A on public policies. Opposition parties criticized what they called misleading government claims about the tourism sector.
At the heart of the dispute is whether Moroccans living abroad should be included in official tourist arrival statistics.
Opposition leaders said this undermines the credibility of data and casts doubt on the effectiveness of efforts to attract foreign tourists.
Hamid Derrak, an MP from the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, said that of the 17.4 million tourists reported in 2024, nearly half were Moroccans visiting family.
“These numbers need more transparency,” he said. “Moroccans abroad are crucial to our economy, but presenting them as part of tourism growth is misleading. Their remittances and spending have always been a backbone of our finances, but this isn’t the same as bringing in international tourists.”
Derak highlighted how previous strategies like Vision 2024 failed to meet their goals. Promises to double hotel capacity, increase Morocco’s share of European visitors, and attract a million tourists from emerging markets have fallen short.
The MP said that without serious infrastructure investments, including better roads and public transport in underserved regions, Morocco’s ambition to draw 26 million tourists by 2030 will remain a pipe dream.
Rachid Taibi Alaoui from the Popular Movement added to the critique, pointing to the dire state of many tourism businesses.
“While the government boasts about numbers, dozens of hotels and travel agencies have shut their doors,” he said.
Alaoui pointed out Morocco’s strengths—its rich history, strategic location, and year-round good weather—are wasted without policies that support local businesses.
Alaoui called for tax breaks and cross-sector collaboration to revitalize the struggling industry.
Ahmed Abbadi from the Progress and Socialism Party took a broader view, criticizing what he called the government’s “excessive self-satisfaction.”
While Abbadi acknowledged some recovery after COVID-19, he said this rebound had little to do with government efforts. “It’s thanks to factors like the national football team’s success in the 2022 World Cup and global travel trends post-pandemic,” he said.
Abbadi also highlighted the struggles of small and medium enterprises, which are critical to tourism but face rising taxes and bankruptcy.
Hind Rttal Bennani from the Justice and Development Party zeroed in on internal tourism. She lamented the lack of affordable options, saying that many Moroccans now prefer traveling abroad because of high costs and poor service at home.
“We need to focus on making domestic travel more accessible,” she said, adding that the government has yet to act on long-standing promises like establishing a national tourism council.
MPs noted the country’s drop in the 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index, where it ranked 82nd out of 119 countries—a 12-spot decline since 2019.
MPs warned that Morocco’s dream of becoming a top-15 global tourist destination is still far off without substantial reforms and fairer policies for Moroccans at home and abroad.
