Marrakech – The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) has rolled out a new wave of its “Ntla9awfbladna” campaign, dedicated to nature and outdoor experiences across the country.
The initiative, unveiled through an immersive film and a 360-degree media strategy, aims to push Moroccans to explore the country’s diverse landscapes. It comes as Morocco pursues an ambitious international tourism agenda alongside efforts to bolster domestic travel.
The North African country welcomed a record 19.8 million international tourists in 2025, surpassing its 2026 target of 17.5 million a full year ahead of schedule. The government now aims for 26 million visitors by 2030, buoyed by the co-hosting of the FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal. But the ONMT is signaling that domestic tourism must grow in tandem.
ONMT Director General Achraf Fayda told Morocco’s state-owned news agency MAP that domestic tourism “constitutes one of the pillars of national tourism.” In 2025, it generated “more than 12.1 million overnight stays,” accounting for “nearly 28% of all tourist overnight stays in Morocco.”
The regions of Marrakech-Safi, Souss-Massa, and Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima remain the most visited by Moroccan travelers. August alone can account for “40% of national overnight stays,” Fayda noted, describing the campaign as an effort to “encourage Moroccans to explore the diversity of the territory” and “multiply getaways throughout the year.”
Beyond the summer season, Fayda said, the challenge is “to promote domestic tourism that is more evenly distributed over time and across all territories.”
Recent data supports the push. January 2026 saw a 4% rise in domestic overnight stays, reaching 856,087. Some destinations posted pronounced gains. Ifrane recorded a 74% increase, El Jadida 48%, and Casablanca 41%. Fayda framed these figures as evidence of “a progressive diversification of destination choices.”
Accommodation trends are also shifting. Three- and four-star hotels each represent roughly 17% of domestic overnight stays, while alternative lodging options are growing rapidly. This reflects what Fayda called “a growing interest in travel experiences closer to nature and in destinations still little explored.”
The ONMT chief indicated the office wants to use the campaign to direct domestic travelers toward destinations “where we would like to accelerate growth,” naming Fez, Ouarzazate, Errachidia, Dakhla, and the Oriental region. He also cited Dakhla and Laayoune as “destinations with strong potential.”
Fayda acknowledged that domestic tourism “remains historically concentrated on proximity logic, strong seasonality and polarization around a few major destinations.” But shifting patterns, he added, require “activating several levers simultaneously,” including stimulating national demand, diversifying flows toward new territories, and promoting nature tourism.
The campaign, he affirmed, responds to the objective of making domestic tourism “a vehicle for territorial balance, economic resilience and an upgrade of the tourism experience in Morocco.”
The domestic push fits within the ONMT’s broader 2026-2030 strategy. The office has launched a national consultation process aimed at positioning Morocco among the world’s top 15 destinations. The strategy focuses on air transport, distribution, destination branding, and digitalization.
With international arrivals already breaking records and domestic travel showing new momentum, the ONMT’s twin-track approach reflects a sector banking on both fronts to sustain its trajectory toward 2030.
Read also: Nearly 900,000 Employed in Morocco’s Tourism Sector in 2025, HCP Reports
