Morocco scored 3.84 out of 7 in the World Economic Forum's 2026 Travel & Tourism Development Index, rising seven places to 70th among 110 economies. Its gain outpaced the global and Middle East and North Africa averages. The index tracks conditions for sustainable tourism development, not visitor numbers or tourism revenue.
The World Economic Forum's 2026 Travel & Tourism Development Index gave Morocco a score of 3.84 out of 7. That put the country 70th among 110 economies and among the index's 10 fastest improvers. Its score rose 5.5% from the recalculated 2024 result. A clear gain.
The result does not show that tourist arrivals or tourism receipts increased. The index looks at conditions that support sustainable tourism development. It does not directly measure visitor flows or revenue. The measures differ.
The 2026 index covers 110 economies. It draws on 102 indicators grouped into 17 pillars. These cover air connectivity, tourism infrastructure, cultural and natural resources, digital readiness, price competitiveness, safety and environmental sustainability. The WEF calculates each economy's overall score as the arithmetic mean of its 17 pillar scores. The global average score gain was 2.1%, the fastest pace since 2019.
Digital readiness is one part of that framework. The index does not separate out its contribution to Morocco's result. Separately, Morocco's planned AI factory project near Casablanca has been reported as a technology development. Available information does not link it to the tourism ranking.
The Middle East and North Africa had the second-fastest regional improvement. Average scores in the region rose 2.5% between 2024 and 2026. The WEF pointed to progress in cultural resources, tourism services and infrastructure. Across the full index, 92% of economies improved their scores. The change was widespread.
Regional comparisons track conditions that support tourism. They do not replace country-level tourism statistics. Morocco's tourism authorities track operational measures such as arrivals and receipts. The state news agency Maghreb Arab Press reports on national developments. Those figures answer different questions from the WEF benchmark. Broader structural analysis by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa offers another regional view.
Comparisons with earlier published rankings need care. The WEF says the 2026 results use the latest available data as of May 2026, and that it recalculated historical results. The index still covers 110 economies, but some economies included in 2024 were left out of the 2026 comparison. On the revised basis, Morocco gained seven places from 2024 and one place from 2019. The WEF methodology also names Morocco's Policy Center for the New South among the national contributors to the research.
Japan led the global ranking, followed by the United States, Spain, Australia and France. Morocco's rise shows an improvement in the conditions measured by the index. It does not prove that visitor numbers or tourism revenue have grown. The ranking gives policymakers and investors a point of comparison. The longer-term test is whether better connectivity, services and sustainability strengthen the country's tourism offer.
