In Rabat, Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism, alongside the National Tourism Confederation and the Tourism Observatory, has rolled out a new system for tracking visitor data at officially recognized tourist accommodations. This fresh approach is designed to provide the industry with more accurate and actionable insights, helping operators make informed decisions and guiding both local and international investment strategies.
Unveiled during an event attended by Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor and Confederation President Hamid Bentahar, the new model was hailed as a major step toward overhauling how the country gathers and uses tourism statistics. The goal is to equip stakeholders with reliable data to support smarter, more strategic decisions across the sector.
At the core of the system is a representative sampling method that considers the types of accommodations, their geographic distribution, and seasonal trends. Drawing on international best practices, the model cross-references on-the-ground data to produce a clearer and more accurate picture of visitor patterns across Morocco.
This initiative is part of the broader 2023–2026 tourism roadmap, which emphasizes improved governance and data quality as key pillars for growth. It also includes the launch of a redesigned website for the Tourism Observatory, envisioned as a publicly accessible data hub. Developed with backing from UN Tourism and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the site features an interactive dashboard, making it easier to visualize, interpret, and compare tourism indicators.
During the launch, a UN Tourism expert detailed global standards for tourism data collection and shared examples of successful methodologies from other countries. The expert also reaffirmed the organization’s full support for Morocco’s digital and strategic transition.
For industry professionals, this marks more than just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic shift. As Hamid Bentahar put it, the aim is to transform data into a long-term competitive advantage for the entire tourism ecosystem. He emphasized the importance of continuous improvement, not only to help businesses scale up, but also to promote a more balanced and sustainable model of tourism development.
The new Tourism Observatory platform is now live at https://observatoiredutourisme.ma
and will be continuously updated with the latest data generated from the revamped methodology.
