Ceuta crisis begins to affect Spanish tourism bookings to Morocco

07:45

By: Azzat Manal

Ceuta crisis begins to affect Spanish tourism bookings to Morocco

The fallout from the ongoing crisis surrounding Ceuta is beginning to be felt in tourism, with signs of increased cancellations and slower new bookings among Spanish travelers planning trips to Morocco.

According to data cited by Spanish tourism publication Hosteltur and provided by hotel booking platform Travelgate, 84.13% of cancellations recorded among Spanish customers during the seven-day period ending September 4 concerned hotel stays scheduled in Morocco for September. By comparison, September accounted for 51.58% of cancellations recorded across other international markets, highlighting a significant difference between the Spanish market and other source markets.

The figures cover hotel bookings in Morocco for the period from September 2026 through March 2027. Within the Spanish market, September represented around 60% of newly recorded bookings but accounted for more than 84% of cancellations. Among other international markets, the month represented approximately 44% of new bookings and about 51% of cancellations. Destinations affected include some of Morocco’s most popular tourist cities, such as Marrakech, Agadir, Meknes and Tangier.

However, the figures should not be interpreted as meaning that 84.13% of all Spanish bookings to Morocco have been cancelled. The percentage refers specifically to the share of cancellations recorded during the monitoring period that involved stays scheduled for September. This distinction is important, as figures from Spanish travel agencies suggest that the overall situation remains less severe than the headline cancellation rate might initially suggest.

José Manuel Lastra, president of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies, said agencies had not detected a large-scale wave of cancellations for trips from Spain to Morocco. Instead, the sector has observed a slowdown in new bookings. Travel professionals are continuing to monitor developments closely, while expressing concern that prolonged uncertainty could further affect demand.

The Spanish market remains particularly important for Morocco’s tourism industry. Lastra has estimated that around four million Spanish travelers visit Morocco each year, making Spain one of the country’s key European tourism markets. At the same time, Latin American customers whose trips are arranged through Spanish travel agencies and tour operators continue to book Morocco relatively normally, suggesting that the hesitation is currently more pronounced among Spanish travelers.

The latest developments come against the backdrop of a migration crisis in Ceuta that erupted at the end of July and quickly became a politically and diplomatically sensitive issue in Spain. The episode has fueled debate over migration management and its potential impact on relations between Spain and Morocco.

While the available figures do not establish that the Ceuta crisis is directly responsible for every cancellation, they point to a growing degree of caution among Spanish travelers. The evolution of the situation in Ceuta and the restoration of confidence among potential visitors could therefore prove decisive in determining whether the current slowdown remains temporary or develops into broader pressure on tourism and travel links between Spain and Morocco.