This country surpasses Egypt as Africa's top tourist destination

A new country has overtaken Egypt as Africa's leading tourist destination, drawing visitors with its unique attractions, rich culture, and unforgettable experiences.

In 2024, Morocco welcomed 17.4 million visitors, as per its Ministry of Tourism.

Just over a year after a devastating earthquake struck the High Atlas Mountains near Marrakech, Morocco now positions itself as Africa’s top tourist destination. This milestone officially dethrones Egypt, which had been the continent’s leader and also set a record of 15.7 million arrivals in 2024. While no single organization monitors tourism numbers for all African nations, both the UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council confirm that North African countries attract significantly more visitors than their sub-Saharan counterparts.

Morocco’s 2024 tourism numbers represent a remarkable 20% increase from 2023 and a more than 33% rise compared to its pre-pandemic figures in 2019, when it recorded 13 million visitors. This achievement has placed Morocco two years ahead of its tourism growth targets.

Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor emphasized the country’s ambition to rank among the top 15 global tourist destinations. To achieve this, Morocco would need to surpass countries like Japan, which received 25 million international tourists in 2023.

In addition to visitor numbers, Morocco also saw record-breaking tourism revenue in 2024, totaling $11 billion, compared to $10.5 billion in 2023. Although Egypt generated $14.1 billion in tourism revenue last year, Morocco and Egypt dominate Africa’s tourism sector, far outpacing sub-Saharan nations like South Africa and Botswana in visitor volume and revenue.

Several factors have driven Morocco’s tourism growth. In 2024, the country introduced 120 new airline routes, including a nonstop United Airlines flight from Newark to Marrakech. The addition of luxury hotels, including Four Seasons and Nobu, and the expansion of Royal Mansour, which launched a second hotel in Casablanca, have also encouraged longer stays and visits beyond Marrakech.

The year’s results come as Morocco prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations from December 2025 to January 2026, an event anticipated to attract global soccer fans. The country’s national soccer team, which made history in 2022 as the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals, is expected to boost domestic tourism as well.

Looking ahead, Morocco is set to co-host the FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal in 2030. By then, the country aims to receive 26 million tourists annually, a 50% increase from its current record.

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Source: moneycontrol‍