The migration crisis in Ceuta and the role of Morocco have sunk tourist demand from Spain to the North African country. The sector is seeing a sharp drop in bookings for the last quarter of the year, as well as cancellations of already booked trips. Carlos Abella, secretary general of the Tourism Board, estimates cancellations for September, the high season month in Morocco, at up to 80%. “The situation is very complicated, both in the short and medium term,” he says.
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From the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV), however, they do not emphasize so much the cancellation of already made and paid bookings as the halt in new bookings. “We observe it with concern, we are closely monitoring the evolution and hope that the situation in Ceuta is resolved as soon as possible and normality can be recovered, also regarding tourism activity,” they point out from the employers’ association.
The country is the second largest source of visitors to the North African state, only behind France
The potential impact for Morocco is not minor. Spain is the second largest source market of visitors to the Alaouite kingdom, only behind France. The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) estimates that more than four million people from Spain visited the country in 2024 and raises the figure to 4.2 million by November 2025, about 23% of international arrivals.
However, not all these trips necessarily correspond to Spanish tourists. Part of the trips are made by people residing in Spain of Moroccan origin who travel to the country to visit family or attend to personal matters. In fact, a more restrictive statistic from the Moroccan Tourism Observatory counted around 1.5 million Spanish tourists in 2024. The difference is due to the sources using different perimeters. Some measure travelers coming from Spain and others, visitors by nationality.
In recent years, Morocco has experienced significant tourism expansion. The Maghreb country received 19.8 million visitors in 2025, 14% more than the previous year, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism. Associated revenues reached 116.2 billion dirhams (about 10.6 billion euros) in 2024 – the last full year available – 38.4% more than in 2019 in nominal terms. Thus, the travel sector now represents 7.3% of Morocco’s gross domestic product alongside remittances sent by Moroccan residents abroad. The sector also generates around 8.2% of employment and accounts for nearly 41% of service exports, according to data collected by the OECD. The halt of the second largest source market thus threatens a strategic activity for employment and foreign currency inflow.
The growing popularity of the destination had also led several Spanish hotel chains to strengthen their presence. Barceló Hotel Group has eleven establishments in Morocco, spread across cities such as Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech, Rabat, and Agadir. Despite the decline in Spanish demand, the company assures that it has not yet detected an impact on its business. “Booking records in our hotels in Morocco remain within the usual range for the season,” the group states.
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The international nature of the clientele explains this situation. The establishments of the Spanish chains do not depend exclusively on travelers from Spain, but also receive tourists from France, the UK, Germany, Italy, and other markets, as well as Moroccan clients. Therefore, the drop in sales in Spain may not immediately translate into overall hotel occupancy.
Riu Hotels offers a similar assessment. The company states that what happened in Ceuta has had “no direct effect” on occupancy or the operation of its hotels, among other reasons because Spain is not among its most relevant source markets for this destination. Riu has been present in Morocco for over twenty years alongside its local partner, the Tikida group, and has six establishments.
The chain also maintains its plans in the country. Its presence began in 2002 and in 2025 it renovated the Riu Palace Tikida Agadir. Additionally, it plans to renovate the Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout for summer 2027.
Airlines have also made a strong bet on Morocco. Ryanair has operational bases in Marrakech, Fez, Agadir, Tangier, and, since this year, Rabat, with sixteen assigned aircraft. The company connects numerous Spanish airports with Moroccan destinations and has even expanded its domestic network within the kingdom. Vueling, for its part, has concentrated its growth in Barcelona, from where it flies directly to Marrakech, Tangier, Agadir, Essaouira, Nador, and Fez.
Neither hotel chains nor airlines have announced structural changes in their plans so far. The sector considers that the duration of the crisis will determine whether the current halt in Spanish bookings is a one-off episode or begins to affect occupancy and investments in one of the Mediterranean’s fastest-growing tourist markets.
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