Touring and adventure sector ‘essential to sustainable Morocco growth’

Industry leaders at the Atas Experiences event in Morocco highlighted how the touring and adventure sector can help the country to build tourism in a sustainable, responsible way.

 

The country has now surpassed Egypt as the most visited destination in Africa, as it recorded 17.4 million arrivals in 2024.

 

UK arrivals reached a record of just over one million in 2024, up 42% year on year – and the first quarter of 2025 saw numbers up by 33% year on year.

 

Achraf Fayda – appointed chief executive of the Moroccan National Tourist Office (MNTO) in November 2024 – said his “ambitions are big” as the “growth potential is massive”, but added: “We are looking at tourism to be sustainable over the long term.”

 

He said the country has a “serious sustainable road map”, with a target of solar and renewable energy to be 52% of its total requirements by 2030.

 

Furthermore, hotels are also looking at ways to be responsible with water, recycling and food waste, while a new fast train service will soon connect the north with Marrakesh, helping to cut travellers’ carbon footprint, he explained.

 

Meryem Bennouna, MNTO director in the UK, said Morocco is “trending” because “people are looking for places where they feel welcome and there is no overtourism”.

 

She added: “Escorted tours are the way to explore [and] agent specialists are needed to tell you about the itinerary.

 

“To reach big numbers, we need tourists to go out to the regions.

 

“For the Bin El Ouidane region [location for Atas Experiences], we need Atas agents and operators.”

 

Zina Bencheikh, EMEA managing director for Intrepid Travel and Atas chair, said Morocco is keen to avoid overtourism and spread tourists beyond city-break destinations such as Marrakesh.

 

“Touring and adventure is ideal for visiting this country, and that’s why I was championing that we come here [for Experiences],” she said.

 

“[Tours] take customers off the beaten track to discover destinations in an authentic way and in a way that they wouldn’t be able to do by themselves.

 

“It is a key selling point, and it’s something that we wanted to showcase.”

 

On behalf of Atas delegates, Intrepid donated £1,000 to Education for All, an organisation giving young women and girls in the High Atlas region – where more than 80% of women are illiterate – access to education.

 

The contribution will fund the lessons and safe boarding of two students for a year.

 

Younes Laraqui, president of the regional tourism council of Beni Mellal-Khenifra – the region that includes the Bin El Ouidane area – told delegates about the wide range of activities and landscapes on offer for tourists.

 

“Beni Mellal-Khenifra is not only a promising destination for eco and cultural tourism but also a region experiencing dynamic growth, supported by improved connectivity and strategic partnerships like the one we are building here with Atas,” he said.

 

“Together we can co-create unique, responsible and sustainable tourism experiences.”

 

• Tom Buck, business development manager at G Adventures, told delegates that the tour operator would be growing a tree for every day each delegate is at the Atas Experiences event.

It is part of G Adventures’ Trees for Days initiative, which sees the operator grow a tree for each day that a traveller is on tour.

Since the reforestation scheme began in 2023, more than four million trees have been grown with local communities around the world to tackle climate change, soil erosion and biodiversity loss.