“Morocco isn't Recovering. It is Breaking its Own Record Every Single Quarter.”

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AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Welcome back, Travel Advisors, to another amazing episode of Destination Morocco Podcast. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: I am your host, Azdean Elmoustaquim. In today's episode, we're going to be talking about the top nine Morocco questions advisors get wrong and how to get them right. Part one.

If you have never sold Morocco, or maybe you sold it once or twice to your client, this episode is definitely for you. You may wanna stick around.

Morocco is not a niche destination anymore. It is one of the fast growing travel markets in the world right now.

And most travel advisors are leaving money on the table because they don't know the numbers, the trends, Or the simple entry points. Today, we're going to change that.

So Number one, what data points, proves, Morocco is a smart, safe bet [00:01:00] right now? Morocco welcomed 19.8 million tourists in 2025. In terms of dollars, that's 14.4 billion USD in tourism revenue for 2025. An all-time record. And that momentum has not slowed down. First quarter of 2026 was already up another 7% year over year. That's not a rebound story anymore. That's sustained growth. If a client is hesitant, that's your line. Morocco is not recovering. It is breaking its own record every single quarter. Number two, what infrastructure improvement make Morocco easier to sell today than 2019?

In 2019, Morocco welcomed 13 million visitors. And you can see the big jump between 2019 and 2025. [00:02:00] That is huge. It's, it's really, really important. So there are so many reasons. For example, Delta Airline. Back in 2025, they launched a direct flight from Atlanta to Marrakech. Then United Airlines launched a direct flight from JFK to Marrakesh.

Then Royal Air Maroc launched a direct flight from LAX to Casablanca. This is the recent one. It was done back in June 7th, 2026. And then you have daily flights from JFK to Casablanca and direct flights from Washington DC to Casablanca, Miami to Casablanca. So when you look at all these options that you have, that's a real reduction in friction for all the US clients who used to go through Europe or connect through Europe, then go to Morocco.

the other thing is to really keep in mind that right now, Morocco is made 4.2 billion [00:03:00] airport expansions program and they are really gearing up for the World Cup in 2030. Me and Ted, if you have listened to the last few episodes, we definitely talk about the trends that are happening in Morocco, and also the preparation for the World Cup in 2030. And if you think that, get into the game right now is too early, you definitely need to rethink that. Because it is gonna be a massive, massive year, in terms of tourism in Morocco. So, the biggest thing, again, that happened just recently in January, actually, of this year, which is, the opening.

the freeway. it connects, Tizlit in the Southern Morocco to Young down to Dachla. These are the Southern provinces of Moroccan Sahara. And again, me and Ted, we have discussed, that's exactly where tourism is moving for the next five to 10 years from today.

 Now, everybody's familiar with the imperial cities, Rabat, Fes, [00:04:00] Meknes and Marakesh. So those are really, really easy itineraries. But then when you get that region, Tisnet, L. And Dakola, that's massive. That freeway really covers about miles of roads. So you can just imagine, you know, there are luxury hotels that are being built.

 there are constructions. It's just, it is gonna be massive, massive growth, for the next few years. I was in Morocco, almost a year ago, and everything was under construction. this was during the African Cup of Nations in November of last year, December of last year.

But then that's actually where everything started getting ready for the World Cup. So, again, uh, I really emphasize, a lot of things are really happening in Morocco in terms of the infrastructure. It's busy. It's crazy. and it's a lot of fun. and you definitely don't wanna leave money on the table when it comes to that. the third [00:05:00] thing is, which client personas are a natural fit for Morocco? When you look at Morocco as a country, it's really, really diverse when it comes to culture, when it comes to art, when it comes to ethnicity, from the north to the middle of Morocco to the south. And even the landscape, it's really, really diverse.

So, there's everything for everybody in Morocco. They'll find the, to do and experience, and most importantly, enjoy. So, when we look at this, you can say, "Hey, you know, my clients are luxury," for example, in the honeymoons. Then, when we look at an, just a regular itinerary, what makes an itinerary a luxury itinerary or a tour versus just a regular tour?

Everything really, when you look at it, it's the same. The only difference is the accommodations. A tour that can cost you, for example, $3,000, a regular itinerary, or a luxury itinerary, it'll cost maybe five or $6,000 because of the accommodations, the places where you're gonna stay. So, that's [00:06:00] really the, the biggest difference.

 And then, when you look at it in terms of luxury in Morocco, we have local brands in Morocco throughout the country. In most places, you will find a Five Star Hotel, Five Star riad where your clients can stay. in that regard as well, we have in Morocco over 200 international brands that your clients can stay.

 the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton, St. Regis. So, there's, luxury brands are everywhere. And again, when you look at, at luxury, whether they want to stay at a hotel, they wanna stay at riad, you have options. I always recommend riad because it has that local immersive experience, versus a hotel.

But nowadays, I've seen some American brands, they have riads as well, that you can stay within the hotel. So, it's really, really impressive how things have changed in terms of, the tourism industry when it comes to, to luxury staying experiences. Then we look at the [00:07:00] honeymooners.

 what makes a regular itinerary just a regular itinerary versus a honeymoon's itinerary or a package? It's just the things that you add to it that it's a little bit more romantic and you have so many options. Where you can do that, whether it's in Marakesh, whether it's in Fes, whether it's in the desert.

and again, the sky really is the limit. So, this is just two types of personas. Then, when you look at again, you know, I say, "Hey, my clients, they are multi-generational family. We have kids, we have the parents, then we have the grandparents." Well, there's something for every age without anyone being bored or left out from experience.

So, that's, Morocco is, again, it's a really, really diverse, it's really a lot of fun. And there are so many places you can, actually achieve this. whether it's Tangier, whether it's Fez whether it fits the blue city Chefchaouen whether it's Casablanca, Rabat or Marrakech, or even the desert, which is a lot of fun, for multi-generational families.

So, there's, again, you have a lot of options. [00:08:00] And then, we get to that, oh, I have a lot of female solo travelers or travelers on a budget. You know, Morocco is actually one of the best spots for them, because a solo traveler can enjoy the Medina because it's, very compact and they can walk literally everywhere, in the Medina.

And then, you have the budget travelers, which, I would say the best fit for them is, a shared group tour, for example, where they can, go into a group, they cost them less. And, at the end of the day, or at the end of the tour, they make friends. They become really good friends at the end.

So, again, different personas for different type of, niche. if you do adventure, an active travel. Morocco is one of the best spots, think of Atlas Mountains. whether the big Atlas Mountains, Tubkal, for example, which is in the outskirts of Imdil Village about an hour and a half away from Marrakesh.

Think about, the reef mountains, for example, a day trip to [00:09:00] Akshore, which is just incredible. The scenery is amazing. It is beautiful. And then we look at the active travelers. You know, if they wanna do surfing, you have a lot of options. You have Isawera, which is three hours from Marakesh, then you have Tarazut, which is between Essaouira and Agadir.

A few hours drive from Isawa, then you have Agadir. Then if you wanna venture out a little bit, down south on the west side of Morocco, the Atlantic Ocean, then you have, Imsuwan, then you have Merlift, then you have Dachla, which we talked about earlier. Those are all great spots when it comes to surfing, and things like that.

 or your niche, for example. small groups or incentive trips, Morocco has venues and experiences you cannot replicate anywhere else. So when it comes to your, client persona or, you know, my niche is this or that, Morocco is definitely the place for your clients to, to enjoy and have an immersive experience.

 then number four, that it comes to mind, which is seasonality and booking windows. The things [00:10:00] that you really should know. So when we look at Morocco, we have the high season, basically, and that is from March through May.

This is the best time to go to Morocco for, a few reasons. The first one is weather. It is the best weather of the year throughout Morocco, whether you're in the north side, whether you're in the coastal side of Morocco, whether you're in, the Atlas Mountains or the desert. The weather is great.

It's not really packed. but the prices are, a little bit high during that time because of that. But it's definitely worth it. So then we have the summer. We have June through August. June, the temperatures start to get a little bit hot, but it's not as bad as July or August. if you have clients they wanna go to Morocco in the summertime, for example, July and August, I would say, recommend something in either in Mediterranean, or the Atlantic Ocean.

 you know, something that they can spend some time close to the water, which is just, it's incredible. And it can build a nigh - we can help you build an itinerary [00:11:00] specifically for that. and it does get really hot. The desert gets extremely hot as well. and then we have September through November.

So September is still gonna be a little bit hot. Then in, October, you're gonna feel a little bit of the weather change. The November still, I would say warm, not as hot, but it's really, really good. In terms of weather, this is, I would say, my second recommendation is in November. October is busy Morocco.

November is, busy as well. But weather-wise, I would prefer November than October, to travel to Morocco just in case if I have an option. So just keep those in mind. And then when we look at winter, we look at Morocco in January through February. we'll actually, starting in, in, December.

 December is cold in Morocco. depending on, where you're gonna be during that month in Morocco, it does not really rain much, but in other cities it does quite a bit. keep that in mind. Then you have in December, the last two weeks, which [00:12:00] we'll talk about in a little bit, when it comes to your trip to Morocco and your bookings.

Then January is definitely rainy, cold. February is the same. if you don't have to book any of those tours that these dates or these months, I'll say don't. The reason is because the weather can actually affect your itinerary, maybe a lot of cancellations. And it's really not worth it because sometimes, especially when you're traveling in the mountains, there'll be sometimes, road closures.

So you may wanna go, "Hey, we're gonna go to the desert. We're going to you're in Marakesh. The road is closed. Unfortunately, you have to go back and, and stay a day or two in Marakesh, then finish your itinerary." Which can be challenging. It's definitely gonna change your itinerary. So those months, I stay away, not because we don't like to do them, but we just, you know, there's other alternatives.

If you have no choices, then we can still do them. And, and we'll figure things out when something like that happens and we have to change something, at the same time or the same day [00:13:00] or on the spot. So just keep that in mind. Winter is cold in the city and it's very cold at night in the desert and then in the Atlas Mountains.

So it's very, very important that pack accordingly. Now, I'm gonna talk about the booking window for all those trips, during those months. I highly recommend giving your client or giving us four to five months for a custom FIT itinerary because the back and forth between, the first draft of the itinerary, approving it, making all those changes between us, then your client, it takes a little bit of time.

I would say that an average few weeks, three to four weeks. and again, it's easier to do it that way. So you still have, the best pick when it comes to the accommodations, to the local guides and transportation and all that stuff. So it's really, really important.

Now, if you're looking to book for a group or that last two weeks in December, [00:14:00] I would highly recommend giving yourself, your clients, a window of nine months. And also keep in mind, in December, the last two weeks, it's the holiday season. So you have Christmas, you have New Year's.

And a lot of those accommodations, they don't want you just to stay one night and go to the next city. They have a minimum stay of nights. Some might have two nights, some might have three or four. It just really depend, depending on the accommodation, the hotel or the realt. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: so, here's the bottom line.

Morocco is accessible, profitable, and trendy. Right now, not someday.

You don't really need to become a destination expert overnight. But you need to start the conversation with your clients. 

Speaker: we do everything for you from A to Z.

We represent you. We are an extension of you. you have questions. Most likely we have the answers. we'll help you with training. We'll help you, create itineries for your [00:15:00] clients. anything you need, we're here for you. So, it's really, really, really, important to know and understand that part because a lot of people are really intimidated.

 I've met so many travel advisors. I tell them, you know, we specialize in Morocco. We do Morocco only. And it's like, oh, you know, my, clients, I talk to them about Moroccan. It's like, oh, I, I don't wanna travel to Africa or I don't wanna travel to a Muslim country or this or that.

So, it's, a lot of the clients, they're just afraid of what they don't know. once they're educated, once they're familiar with the destination, and it takes time. you know, obviously it does. and we're here for you again. we'll help you with, marketing materials.

We'll help you with images, with videos. So, you can, promote Morocco and take your time. You know, we talk about, 2030. This is really the right time to start is actually today. that's what we do. We do Morocco twenty four seven. And I know it can be frustrating to somebody who wants to sell Morocco or somebody, you have clients asking you and, you say, "Hey, you know what?

Let me get you with [00:16:00] so-and-so because they know more about Morocco than we do." Now you don't have to do that. we can take care of those clients for you. And your clients are your clients, always, all the time. So, I, I really, really appreciate you today for listening. if this episode was helpful to you, one way or another, please, give us a review on Spotify and check out our YouTube channel, Destinations Morocco. it helps more advisors just like you find our podcast. And don't forget to subscribe. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: This is the Destination Morocco Podcast. 

Speaker: we help you sell Morocco with confidence.

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Shukran,

see you next time. Thank you. Bye.

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