Morocco Explores “China”: The World’s Largest Tourist Market
Today, Tuesday, the International Tourism Fair in China 2025 (ITB China 2025) kicks off in Shanghai, marking the largest travel industry event in China that brings together tourism professionals from around the world.
This prominent event in the Asian travel sector, running until Thursday at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center, serves as an essential platform for networking among professionals and business opportunities in the travel industry.
According to the organizers, the International Tourism Fair in China features over 600 exhibitors representing 80 countries, and is expected to welcome 15,000 professional visitors, in addition to more than 1,000 buyers from 790 different companies.
The Moroccan National Office of Tourism is strongly represented at this year’s fair with a large delegation comprising industry professionals and a high-quality program that paves the way for promising cooperation prospects.
The National Office of Tourism is also supporting the participation of fifteen Moroccan exhibitors in this event, aiming to highlight Morocco’s destination qualities among Chinese professionals and develop structural partnerships.
On this occasion, a Moroccan pavilion will be prominently featured, particularly included in the official tour of ITB China, attended by distinguished members of the organizing committee, major tourism groups, and high-ranking Chinese officials.
Thus, the International Tourism Fair in China emerges as a strategic lever for Morocco in its quest to explore the Chinese tourism market.
After a record number of 142,000 Chinese visitors to Morocco in 2019, this momentum slowed during the pandemic, before reviving again with 107,000 Chinese visitors in 2024, reflecting a 75% recovery compared to pre-pandemic levels.
This promising rebound is largely attributed to proactive efforts by the Moroccan National Office of Tourism, which has implemented an ambitious action plan for the Chinese market, particularly through strategic partnerships, digital and traditional promotional campaigns, media meetings, familiarization trips, and promotional tours.
This strategy also relies on the resumption of the direct Casablanca-Beijing flight by Royal Air Maroc last January, and the launch of the Shanghai-Casablanca route by China Eastern Airlines.
According to the Chinese Academy of Tourism and the United Nations tourism organization, the number of travelers leaving China increased from 87 million in 2023 to about 130 million in 2024. It is expected to reach 155 million travelers in 2025, with a target of 200 million by 2028.
China, accounting for one in ten tourists worldwide with 150 million travelers annually, remains the largest global tourist market in terms of volume and revenue.
