IFTM Top Resa 2026: Marrakech-Safi promotes a stronger tourism partnership between Marrakech and Essaouira

The Marrakech-Safi region is using IFTM Top Resa 2026 in Paris to present a more integrated tourism offer, bringing together the international appeal of Marrakech and the distinctive identity of Essaouira.

Held from September 15 to 17 at Paris Porte de Versailles, the French travel industry exhibition has provided Moroccan tourism stakeholders with an opportunity to strengthen commercial ties with one of the country's most established source markets.

The Regional Tourism Council of Marrakech and the Provincial Tourism Council of Essaouira are taking part alongside the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) and Moroccan tourism operators.

Essaouira takes centre stage in Paris

One of the defining features of Morocco's presence at this year's event is the dedicated space given to Essaouira by the ONMT.

The spotlight comes as the coastal destination enters what local stakeholders describe as a new phase of tourism development. André Azoulay, Adviser to King Mohammed VI, welcomed the decision to highlight the city during the opening of the exhibition, alongside Morocco's ambassador to France Samira Sitail, ONMT Director General Achraf Fayda and CPT Essaouira President Redwane Khanne.

For Essaouira, the exposure comes at a time when visitor numbers, transport links and investment prospects are converging to expand the destination's tourism potential.

Connectivity becomes a key growth factor

Transport infrastructure is emerging as one of the central elements of Essaouira's tourism strategy.

A new direct Nantes-Essaouira route operated by easyJet is scheduled for the 2026-2027 winter season, adding another connection between the French market and the Moroccan Atlantic city.

The prospect of a high-speed rail connection between Marrakech and Essaouira represents another potential change in the way the two destinations are linked. The project would connect Essaouira more closely with Marrakech, Morocco's major international tourism gateway, and could make combined itineraries easier to develop.

For tourism professionals, such connectivity could encourage visitors to include both destinations in the same trip rather than choosing between them.

France remains a strategic source market

The focus on France reflects the market's longstanding importance to Moroccan tourism.

In 2025, French visitors generated almost 7.97 million overnight stays in Morocco's classified accommodation establishments, an increase of 3% compared with 2024 and 12% compared with 2023. During the first six months of 2026, overnight stays from the French market increased by a further 8.5%.

Air connectivity has supported this growth. For summer 2026, direct services between France and Morocco offered nearly 3.7 million seats across 157 routes, representing an increase of around 5% from the previous summer.

Marrakech remains a major gateway within this network, with 44 direct routes from French cities. This gives the Marrakech-Safi region a substantial platform from which to promote a broader regional tourism proposition.

From individual destinations to combined experiences

The strategy presented in Paris is not simply about increasing arrivals to Marrakech or Essaouira independently. It also seeks to encourage travellers to combine the two destinations.

Marrakech offers established international connectivity, hospitality infrastructure and experience in hosting major events. Essaouira brings a different tourism profile, shaped by its Atlantic setting, cultural heritage, architecture and artistic identity.

Better transport links between the two could therefore create opportunities for multi-destination packages, allowing visitors to combine an urban and cultural stay in Marrakech with a coastal experience in Essaouira.

Investment adds another dimension

Tourism development in Essaouira is also being accompanied by expectations of increased investment.

Local stakeholders point to a pipeline of tourism projects expected to emerge over the short and medium term. These investments could expand accommodation capacity and diversify the experiences available to visitors.

The combination of stronger visitor demand, improved accessibility and new investment is creating conditions for the destination to expand while maintaining its distinctive positioning.

For the wider Marrakech-Safi region, the objective is to turn these developments into a more connected tourism ecosystem.

Experiential travel, MICE and weddings

The French market also offers opportunities beyond traditional leisure tourism.

Experiential travel is becoming increasingly relevant as visitors seek cultural encounters, local experiences and destinations with a strong sense of identity. Essaouira is well positioned within this segment because of its heritage, Atlantic environment and cultural profile.

Marrakech, meanwhile, has developed significant expertise in MICE tourism, hosting conferences, corporate events and international gatherings.

Wedding tourism and golf provide additional segments for the regional strategy, particularly among international visitors seeking specialised services and higher-value travel experiences.

Together, these segments allow Marrakech-Safi to address different forms of demand while creating opportunities for visitors to extend their stays across several destinations.

A regional strategy built on complementarity

The joint presence of Marrakech and Essaouira at IFTM Top Resa reflects a shift towards promoting the destinations as complementary rather than competing for the same travellers.

Marrakech can serve as the region's principal international gateway, while Essaouira adds a contrasting coastal and cultural dimension. Improved connections between the two could make that complementarity more commercially viable.

The challenge now is to translate stronger visibility into sustained economic benefits: higher visitor flows, longer stays, greater circulation between destinations and continued investment in tourism infrastructure.

For Marrakech-Safi, the French market provides a significant testing ground for that strategy. IFTM Top Resa 2026 offers the region a platform not only to promote individual destinations, but also to present a more interconnected tourism proposition to French travel professionals.