The Moroccan ambassador to the People's Republic of China, Abdelkader Al Ansari, has announced a remarkable milestone in the realm of tourism, revealing that Morocco welcomed approximately 200,000 Chinese tourists in the year 2025 alone. This figure marks a significant increase and represents an unprecedented level of Chinese tourism to the Kingdom, doubling the number from 2024 which stood at 106,000 visitors. This revelation was made during a presentation of the Chinese magazine 'Lukwei', which highlighted the tenth anniversary of King Mohammed VI's official visit to China in May 2026.
Experts attribute this surge in Chinese visitors to several factors, including the exemption of entry visas for Chinese citizens traveling to Morocco. Additionally, the strengthening of air connectivity, particularly with the launch of direct flights between Casablanca, Beijing, and Shanghai, has facilitated this increase, alongside Morocco's rich array of tourist attractions.
Notable Dynamics in Chinese Tourism
Tourism expert Zoubeir Bouhout remarked that there has been a notable transformation in Chinese tourism to Morocco over recent years, particularly following the visa exemption implemented in June 2016, coinciding with King Mohammed VI's visit to China. He noted that in 2015, Morocco only received around 10,000 Chinese tourists, despite the vast tourism potential offered by a market that includes hundreds of millions of international travelers. Following the visa exemption, the number of Chinese tourists in Morocco swiftly increased to 42,844 in 2016, with a steady rise leading up to a pre-pandemic peak of 141,050 visitors in 2019.
However, this upward trend faced a sharp decline during 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bouhout pointed out the strong recovery in 2024, with 106,000 Chinese visitors returning to Morocco, attributing this resurgence to the resumption of direct flights between Casablanca and Beijing via Royal Air Maroc, as well as a new route linking Shanghai to Casablanca.
In 2025, the number of Chinese tourists reached approximately 200,000, reflecting an impressive year-on-year increase of nearly 89 percent. Furthermore, Morocco has initiated the process of obtaining the 'China Ready' designation, aimed at aligning its tourism offerings with the preferences of Chinese tourists by enhancing services, developing content in Mandarin, adopting Chinese payment methods, and bolstering its digital presence on platforms popular in China.
Potential and Future Aspirations
Chinese economic analyst Nader Rong Huan emphasized that the doubling of Chinese tourists to Morocco is linked not only to the visa exemption but also to the Kingdom becoming a destination for various Chinese investments, particularly in renewable energy, automobiles, and electricity. He noted that recent years have seen high-level visits, including a visit by the Chinese president to Morocco, which has further solidified ties between the two nations.
Despite the positive developments, Bouhout cautioned that the current figures for Chinese tourists remain below potential expectations when considering the vast scale of the Chinese market, which is the largest in the world for outbound travel, with over 150 million international travelers prior to the pandemic. He emphasized that attracting 106,000 tourists in 2024 and 200,000 in 2025 is still modest relative to the immense possibilities available.
Looking ahead, he highlighted that the primary challenge lies in transforming this gradual increase into a substantial boom. This would necessitate enhancing direct air connectivity, aligning Morocco's tourism infrastructure with Chinese standards, and developing a stronger digital presence in the Asian tourism market, thereby positioning Morocco as a leading global destination benefiting from this strategic market.
As reported by hespress.com.
