With 17.4 million visitors in 2024, Morocco has become Africa’s top tourist destination, breaking records year after year. But at what cost to the land and its people? On the International Day of Responsible Tourism, voices like Said Marghadi’s—founder of the Touda ecolodge in Aït Bouguemez—call for a new approach that puts sustainability and respect for local communities at the heart of tourism.
While acknowledging that the Kingdom has «considerably improved» its score thanks to «better protection of biodiversity and habitats», the Environmental Performance Index for 2020 ranks Morocco 100th out of 180 countries. It is also 10th in the MENA region and 3rd in the Maghreb.
After criticizing Morocco over the Western Sahara conflict, and Hirak Rif, petroleum exploration is a new chapter the Podemos is using to target the country again.
The Cost of Environmental Degradation to the Moroccan society has barely decreased during the period between 2000 and 2014, according to a study conducted by the World Bank. The results of the survey have been presented officially today at the Ministry of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment.