Tourism Impact Assessment Morocco

Activities, Key Findings and Impactful Measures
Acknowledgements
  • The Roundtable (RT) team expresses its gratitude to everyone in Morocco who contributed to the successful implementation of the process of this assessment. Without their invaluable inputs, openness and experience, this assessment would not have been possible.
  • We would like to thank Abdeliliah Lahchimi (Impact Experts) as the locally-based facilitator and active support for the assessment.
  • We would like to thank Bread for the World for the co-funding for this project.
  • The core project group consisted of RT tour operator members Kneissl Touristik and EXO Travel/ Foundation as well as Intrepid Travel. Their financial support, active contributions to local partners and professional perspective made this project possible. Their dedicated local partners in Morocco deserve a special thank you. 
  • We would like to thank the local travel agency Gulliver Voyage for the organisational support of the travel planning. Various further tourism businesses and stakeholders have supported the project with in-kind and financial contributions, and partner networks, and made a multi-stakeholder setting possible.
Executive Summary

The report summarises the findings of the value-chain-focused tourism impact assessment conducted in Morocco from an international tour operator’s (TO) perspective in June 2026. 

The focus of this assessment is on a typical tour operator’s value chain for a round trip in Morocco and does not constitute a sector-wide impact assessment. It constitutes a snapshot of the current situation at the time of the on-site assessment (7-19 June 2026) with a limited scope. 

Besides the information gathered through existing documentation and the desk review, the findings are mainly based on the evidence and perspectives gathered through pre-consultations and during the on-site consultations with the various stakeholders. The assessment is based on qualitative research and anonymity was granted to the stakeholders consulted. 

The Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism (RT) is solely responsible for the content of this publication, published in October 2026.

The project

  1. Focused on a tourism supply chain of mid-range group tourism products in the crucial Moroccan tourism hubs of Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Erfoud/Merzouga, Boumalne and Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, Ait Benhaddou, Imlil and Marrakech.
  2. Applied a multi-stakeholder approach and follows an internationally acknowledged methodology.
  3. Took into account risk topics named in the German Supply Chain Act (LkSG).
  4. Built on the Roundtable's detailed blueprint tool for conducting impact assessments in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).

The project supports tour operators to

  • facilitate access to sector-specific information on human rights issues for tour operators on a classical tourism route in Morocco;
  • identify and prioritize risk areas within their own business;
  • take concrete measures to address human rights risks and implement due diligence strategies in a targeted and pragmatic manner;
  • define appropriate mitigating actions (also with regard to LkSG)
  • foster partnership with key local stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, NGOs and other businesses and organisations.

The assessment included: 

  • 5 online pre-consultations with various experts, institutions and organisations
  • 2 focus group discussions
    • Rabat: 5 members of the sustainability committee of CNT (Confédération Nationale du Tourisme)
    • Fes: 5 national and local tour guides
  • 30 consultations on-site with >65 stakeholders
    • Destination Management Companies (DMCs)
    • Accommodations
    • Activity Providers
    • Transport Providers
    • Associations
  • Visits to and exchange with tourism related organisations, projects and good practice examples

Based on the consultations, previous desk research and business risk analysis data, the following key issue areas were identified in the context of the assessment of TOs' value chains in Morocco:

  1. Workers' Rights (esp. temporary, freelance and non-declared work; working hours for guides and drivers; fair wages)
     
  2. Child Rights
     
  3. Awareness of Environmental Risks (esp. water scarcity and waste management)
     
  4. Cutlural Heritage Preservation
     
  5. Gender Equality and Harassment
     
  6. Community Impact: Local Employment and Training on the Job

For each of these topics possible effective risk mitigation measures were discussed and elaborated. These measures target different levels, from individual actions at TO level to joint projects, exchange formats with local partners and institutions to activities of local stakeholders. 

The selection of measures takes into account the severity of the risk (scale and scope of risk for rightsholders) and ability to influence (leverage) tour operators and tourism businesses. These measures are therefore intended to be pragmatic and realistic, directly linked to the partners and individuals or legal entities involved in the study, thereby avoiding recommendations that these partners cannot implement or influence.

This summary outlines key, practical measures identified through the Tourism Impact Assessment Morocco, developed in close consultation with local stakeholders. It focuses on high-impact actions for tour operators in areas such as  certification, child rights, and workers’ rights—aligned with local laws, challenges, and opportunities. It is most effective when read alongside the full report.

THE MOROCCAN CONTEXT
  • Religious and Cultural and Awareness: 
    Morocco has a rich cultural heritage influenced by Arab, Amazigh, African, and European traditions. Islam plays an important role in Moroccan society and influences daily life and social interactions. Successful stakeholder engagement depends on cultural awareness and respect. Meetings should take religious holidays and Ramadan into account, and local customs should be respected.
     
  • Relationship Oriented Culture: 
    Building trust and personal relationships is a fundamental aspect of Moroccan business culture. Stakeholders often prefer to establish rapport before discussing business matters. Initial meetings may focus on getting to know each other, and engaging in polite small talk is considered an important part of building mutual trust and respect.
     
  • Respect for Authorities: 
    Organisations and workplaces often value authority, and many workplaces are structured with specific leadership roles. Senior figures in an organisation or community may have a significant influence. Respect for age, experience, and formal positions is highly valued. Decisions are often made at higher management levels, so identifying and engaging the appropriate decision-makers is essential.. 
     
  • Communication Style: 
    Communication is generally polite, diplomatic, and indirect, particularly when addressing sensitive topics or disagreements. Maintaining harmony and preserving personal dignity ("saving face") are important cultural values. Patience, active listening, and avoiding open confrontation help build productive relationships. 

Morocco has a comprehensive legislative framework governing labour rights, employment conditions, social protection, and equality principles. Labor legislation in Morocco is considered protective of employees' interests, aiming to encourage job stability.

  • The main legal instrument is the Labour Code (Law No. 65-99), which regulates working hours, overtime, paid annual leave, maternity leave, occupational health and safety, employment contracts, and the statutory minimum wage (SMIG). 
     
  • The Constitution of Morocco (2011) also establishes principles of equality, non-discrimination, and equal access to rights and opportunities. In particular, Article 19 guarantees equality between men and women in political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental fields.
     
  • Social protection for private sector employees is mandatory and is administered by the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS), which provides benefits for sickness, maternity, pensions, family allowances, and workplace accidents. Employees may report labour law violations to the Labour Inspectorate, while unresolved disputes can be brought before the competent labour courts. Morocco has also strengthened its social protection system through recent reforms aimed at expanding coverage to previously vulnerable and excluded groups, including informal workers and self-employed individuals.

The legal framework provides important protections for workers, including paid annual leave, regulated overtime compensation, maternity protection, and mandatory social security contributions for registered employees. 

Regarding gender equality, the Labour Code prohibits discrimination in employment and establishes protections related to maternity and equal pay principles. Morocco has also adopted measures to improve women’s economic participation, although women continue to face barriers related to labour market access, wage gaps, and occupational segregation.

Regarding vulnerable groups and child rights, Morocco has introduced legal protections through instruments such as the Labour Code (Law No. 65-99), which establishes a minimum working age in accordance with the recommendations of the International Labour Organization and restrictions on hazardous work for children, as well as the National Action Plan for Children, the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and relevant ILO conventions on child labour. 

Despite these legislative advances, implementation remains uneven, and challenges remain concerning access to protection mechanisms, work conditions, and the inclusion of vulnerable populations, including rural communities, migrants, and informal workers. Continued efforts to strengthen enforcement, labour inspections, promotion of formal employment, and awareness of rights remain essential to ensure that protections are effectively implemented in practice across all regions.

The report highlights relevant legal frameworks regarding the identified key issue areas under each section.

Tourism is a strategic pillar of Morocco’s economy and considered a key driver for inclusive economic development, particularly in regions with limited industrial opportunities.

Morocco recorded a historic high of 19.8 million tourists in 2025, representing a 14% increase compared to the previous year. This massive influx generated exceptional economic benefits, bringing total tourism revenue to 138 billion dirhams—a year-on-year rise of 21%. Meanwhile, the hotel sector mirrored this strong upward trend, with a total of 43.49 million overnight stays recorded in the country's classified accommodation establishments, reinforcing the strategic importance of tourism, which now accounts for 7.3% of national GDP. The sector contributes substantially to employment, supporting around 1.4 million jobs across accommodation, food services, transport, cultural activities, and related services (Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy; WTTC 2025). However, challenges remain regarding job quality, seasonality, informal employment, and ensuring that tourism growth benefits local communities. 

Morocco’s tourism development is guided by the Tourism Roadmap 2023–2026, which represents the first phase towards the country’s broader 2030 tourism vision. The strategy aims to position Morocco among the world’s top tourism destinations by welcoming 26 million tourists by 2030, while increasing tourism’s contribution to economic growth and employment. Key priorities include diversifying tourism products, improving visitor experiences, strengthening infrastructure and connectivity, promoting sustainable development, and increasing local economic benefits through tourism (Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy of Morocco; Tourism Roadmap 2023–2026 (Vision 2030)).

The FIFA World Cup 2030, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal, is regarded an additional strategic opportunity to accelerate tourism development and infrastructure investment. Preparations for the event are driving investments in airports, rail connections, roads, accommodation capacity, and sports infrastructure, with the objective of strengthening Morocco’s position as a global tourism destination beyond the tournament itself. The event is expected to increase Morocco’s international visibility, attract new visitor segments, and create opportunities for employment and investment across tourism value chains. At the same time, ensuring a sustainable legacy will require attention to resource management, local economic inclusion, and long-term use of newly developed infrastructure.

European markets remain among Morocco’s most important tourism source markets due to geographic proximity and strong historical connections. Countries such as France, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom continue to represent key visitor groups. Maintaining engagement with these markets, while diversifying international arrivals and promoting sustainable tourism models, will be essential for maximising the sector’s long-term socio-economic contribution.

KEY ISSUES AND POTENTIAL MEASURES

For each of the defined key issue areas the core group, consulted stakeholders and local facilitation partner discussed and elaborated effective risk mitigation measures. 

These measures target different levels, from individual actions at tour operator level to joint projects, exchange formats with local partners and institutions to activities of local stakeholders. The selection of measures takes into account the severity of the risk (scale and scope of risk for rightsholders) and ability to influence (leverage) of tour operators and tourism businesses.

This report is a combination of public data compiled via desk research, interviews with expert organisations and on-site consultations with tourism actors, which are naturally always impressions and selective snapshots of the situation at the time of the discussion.

Awareness of Environmental Risks (esp. Water Scarcity and Waste Management)

Water scarcity and pressure on water resources is considered the country's most pressing environmental risk. Following several consecutive years of drought, water resources have come under severe pressure, particularly in arid regions where tourism infrastructure competes with agriculture and local communities for limited supplies - even more with regard to climate change. 

Although traditional knowledge of water conservation remains strong and many communities have developed locally adapted water management practices, increasing demand for water and expanding infrastructure may intensify competition over water resources in the future. Without effective regulation, improved infrastructure, and sustainable water management strategies, conflicts over water allocation may become more frequent.

Waste management and pollution represents another major environmental challenge. Public recycling and waste recovery systems remain limited and underdeveloped in many regions. As a result, even businesses separating waste often lack access to functioning recycling chains, and large quantities of plastic waste end up in landfills or entering natural ecosystems. Plastic pollution is particularly visible along roads and in rural areas outside urban centers. In addition, hazardous waste, such as batteries and other potentially harmful materials, often lack adequate collection and disposal systems.

Limited sustainability awareness and prioritisation
Awareness among businesses, employees, and visitors regarding waste reduction, responsible water use, and broader sustainability practices remains limited. Many tourism businesses do not actively encourage guests or staff to reduce resource consumption.
More broadly, sustainability has not yet become a strategic priority for many tourism businesses. Environmental measures are frequently perceived as additional costs rather than as long-term investments in resilience, efficiency, and competitiveness. 

Environmental sustainability remains one of the key challenges for tourism development in Morocco. Growing tourism activities have increased pressure on fragile natural habitats, particularly in desert regions, mountain areas, and small biodiversity hotspots such as lakes and mountain streams, which often have limited carrying capacities. Unregulated or rapidly increasing tourism can disturb wildlife, damage habitats, and contribute to the degradation of  natural and protected areas. Ensuring a balance between tourism growth and ecosystem protection remains a major management challenge.

The implementation of sustainable practices remains difficult, particularly for small and medium-sized tourism businesses. Sustainability certification is still uncommon, as many businesses perceive certification schemes and environmental improvements primarily as additional financial burdens rather than as opportunities for improving efficiency, attracting responsible travellers, and strengthening long-term competitiveness.

Case study: Tourism Pressure in Merzouga

In Merzouga, the rapid expansion of hotels and desert camps over the past decade has placed increasing pressure on the protected desert ecosystem. For many years, tourism activities such as off-road driving, camel tours, and desert camping were only weakly regulated, contributing to habitat degradation. In response, authorities have started introducing measures such as zoning regulations, restrictions of the number of bivouac camps, and permit requirements for tourism activities in order to reduce environmental impacts and improve the management of the protected area. However, these measures have faced resistance from some local stakeholders who seek further expansion of tourism infrastructure and continued economic benefits from tourism growth.

Case study: Tourism Pressure and Local Environmental Management in Toubkal National Park

In Toubkal National Park, growing trekking tourism has increased pressure on the fragile High Atlas ecosystem, particularly around Imlil and the Toubkal summit route. Key challenges include trail erosion, increasing volumes of solid waste and wastewater, and pressure on local water resources. In response, the locally driven Mountain Propre initiative has brought together residents, tourism businesses, NGOs and the national park around waste management, environmental awareness and conservation. Kasbah du Toubkal has further linked tourism revenue to local environmental and community initiatives through a 5% contribution to a local village association. While limited infrastructure and management capacity remain challenges, the approach provides a useful example of how tourism businesses can contribute to locally led environmental management.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • Medium-high Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Actively communicate locally relevant practical information on water scarcity to guests before arrival
      • Be more pro-active about asking local partners for (GSTC accredited) certification, where it makes sense. Support local partners in implementing sustainable practices if certification is not (yet) possible. 
         
    • Mid term
      • Encourage suppliers to measure water, waste and energy use and/or provide specific access to training programmes 
      • Incentivise zero plastic solutions in supply chains
         
    • Mid-long term
      • Increase share of certified local partners per 1-3
        Certification is an effective, credible, and locally relevant (if the scheme is local) instrument to manage risk. Multi-layered and non-dogmatic approaches and sensitisation are needed to create added value as it is not manageable for all sizes and kinds of tourism companies. Mandatory certification could exclude or cause difficulties for smaller companies - including long-term business partners, which is also a sustainability criterion.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Translate water scarcity into practical behaviour for your business and employees, and tourists.
      • Build capacity and awareness among staff on water and waste topics on a low and practical level, using existing local guidance, tools and training programmes. 
      • Ban single-use plastic. Install water refill stations with filtered water. 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Roundtable: Follow-up with CNT – they have communicated a renewed interest in certification recently as there is an increasingly strong demand from clients. Also, some online travel agencies (OTAs) are now promoting these certifications. The preparation phase for certification or labeling is currently supported by the Go Siyaha support and financing program that funds up to 90% of certification preparation. However, demand from very small businesses appears to be insufficient.
      • Create and host joint webinars with buyers (TOs), their suppliers, and local certification schemes to create a better understanding of how things work, how businesses can benefit from a holistic and structured approach to their sustainability management.
    • Short-Mid term
      • Promote sustainability certification and demonstrate its business benefits to encourage wider uptake.
      • Encourage (larger) tourism companies and accommodation providers to get certified with a GSTC accreditited certification scheme. 
      • Encourage larger tourism companies and accommodation providers to offer sustainability training for their staff and supply chains. 
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid-long term
      • Strengthen the coordinating role of Moroccan industry organisations such as CNT and CRT by facilitating training, knowledge exchange and cooperation across the tourism sector:
        • Coordinate multi-stakeholder platforms bringing together tourism businesses, government authorities, NGOs and experts to exchange knowledge and good practices. 
        • Facilitate cooperation between larger companies and smaller tourism businesses to share knowledge, resources and practical solutions.
    • Long term
      • Work with ministries to secure funding for capacity-building programmes and sustainability initiatives. 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - GOVERNMENT / LOCAL AUTHORITIES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short-mid term
      • Continue developing zoning regulations and visitor management systems for ecologically sensitive areas.
      • Ban single-use plastics; install public water refill stations with filtered water.
    • Mid-long term
      • Improve public waste collection, recycling infrastructure and hazardous waste management.
      • Simplify administrative procedures for businesses investing in sustainable tourism initiatives.  
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid-long term
      • Phase in mandatory measurement and reporting of key resource consumption (particularly water and energy) by tourism businesses, starting with larger/high-consumption establishments and progressively extending requirements to smaller operators.
      • Expand financial incentives and support programmes for renewable energy, water-saving technologies, wastewater treatment and sustainability certification. 
      • Develop tourism-specific water-efficiency standards and incentives, supported by better coordination between water authorities and tourism institutions and by systematic monitoring of water use relative to occupancy.
    • Long term
      • Improve sustainable mobility options and public transport along major tourism routes. 
      • Consider introducing a tourism or infrastructure levy to finance investments in water supply, waste management and environmental infrastructure.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL NGOs AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Organise environmental awareness campaigns for local communities, tourism businesses and visitors.
    • Short-mid term
      • Cooperate with tourism businesses on biodiversity conservation, waste reduction and animal welfare initiatives. 
    • Mid-long term
      • Support community-based management of natural resources and promote local participation in tourism planning. 

Good Practice

  • Imlil: 
    • Water is managed through a local association. 
    • Hotels pay four times higher water fees than local residents, with revenues reinvested in community development projects. 
  • Merzouga: 
    • The local tourism association organises regular desert clean-up campaigns and environmental education activities with local schoolchildren. 
    • Authorities have introduced zoning regulations, permit requirements for tourism activities and restrictions on bivouac camps to reduce pressure on the protected desert ecosystem.
  • Local organisations support animal welfare initiatives for working animals used in tourism, including mules in Imlil and horses in Marrakech.
  • Intrepid Travel Morocco has given suppliers access to the UN Global Compact Spark Programme and has sponsored the creation of a hotel emissions tool which is free for any company to access
  • Existing government programmes already provide financial support for sustainability audits, renewable energy investments and certification. Relevant instruments include the Go Siyaha programme (certification support) and the CNT Academy (free online training).

Further Resources and Guidance 

Workers' Rights (esp. temporary/ freelance/ non-declared work; working hours for guides and drivers; fair wages)

Strong regulations exist in Morocco with regard to workers rights, social security and Health and Safety. Working conditions are legally regulated through statutory requirement, in particular the Code du Travail, the CNSS (Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale) and the minimum wage SMIG (Salaire Minimum Interprofessionnel Garanti).

The statutory working week is generally 44 hours. Overtime is permitted under certain conditions and must be paid at a higher rate. Employees are entitled to daily and weekly rest periods as well as to paid annual leave and paid public holidays.

Regular inspections by labor authorities are conducted to monitor compliance with employment regulation. The carried out interviews and site visits during this assessment could not provide sufficient information to comprehensively evaluate the extent to which these legal requirements are consistently implemented by the hotels, transport companies, and agencies visited. Enforcement was reported to be possibly inconsistent, especially in rural areas.

One common practice, especially in hotels, is hiring through temporary work agencies, for security, housekeeping, and cleaning.  Seasonal demand contributes to this practice, but it is not only a seasonal issue. Temporary and informal employment are common in Moroccan tourism, making it a broader labour rights concern. As temporary agency work may present particular risks for staff related to employment security and access to social protection, as highlighted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO)*, this aspect needs further attention and examination. 

During high season, tourism businesses also recruit unpaid  interns from vocational schools, mainly in restaurant and housekeeping roles, as part of their training. Given the limited duration of these placements and their formal educational framework, the assessment found a low risk of exploitative working conditions for interns.

Freedom of association and worker representation are legally recognised in Morocco, although civil society organisations working on human rights and freedom of expression may face restrictions and pressure from the authorities. 
The country's main trade unions—including the Union Marocaine du Travail (UMT), Confédération Démocratique du Travail (CDT), Union Générale des Travailleurs du Maroc (UGTM), and Fédération Démocratique du Travail (FDT)—represent workers across different sectors and engage in national social dialogue and collective bargaining. Reliable data on trade union membership specifically in Morocco’s tourism sector are limited. 

Estimates of trade union membership in Morocco vary by source and year. At national level, data from Morocco's main trade unions indicate a union membership rate of around 11% in 2022, implying that the large majority of employees were not organised, with membership particularly concentrated in larger, formal enterprises (Ibourk, El Aynaoui and Ghazi 2026, p. 391). Using a broader definition covering both trade unions and professional organisations, HCP data indicate that 96,1% of employees were not affiliated with any such body in 2023 (HCP 2023). Given the high prevalence of informal, temporary and outsourced work in tourism, access to collective representation may vary significantly across different types of employment in the sector.

* https://www.ilo.org/resource/44-workers-non-standard-forms-employment; 
https://www.ilo.org/resource/private-employment-agencies-temporary-agency-workers-and-their-contribution; 
https://www.ilo.org/topics-and-sectors/industries-and-sectors/tourism-hotel-and-food-beverage-services

The Moroccan Labour Code (Law No. 65-99) provides the main legal framework for employment relations in Morocco. It regulates employment contracts, working conditions, wages, working hours, occupational health and safety, social dialogue, non-discrimination, maternity protection, and the protection of minors. It establishes fundamental labour rights and employer obligations, while enforcement remains a key challenge, particularly in informal employment contexts.

Employee representatives known as délégués du personnel (DP) are mandatory in companies with at least 10 permanent employees, as per the Labour Code (art. 430). They defend workers' interests on wages, working conditions, safety, and collective issues, escalating disputes to labour inspectors if needed. 

In March 2026, the SMIG (minimum wage) in Morocco is set at MAD 17.92/hour, or approximately MAD 3,422 gross monthly on the basis of 191 hours (44 hours/week), following a 5% increase on January 1, 2026. This amount concerns the non-agricultural sectors (industry, trade, services) and applies to the gross basic salary before CNSS/AMO (social security) contributions and taxes; the net varies around MAD 3,192 after standard deductions.

Mechanisms and programmes are in place to reduce unemployment and better align vocational training with the needs of the tourism sector, notably through the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills.

The freedom of association in Morocco is enshrined in the 2011 Constitution (preamble and Articles 12-14), positioning it as a cornerstone of participatory democracy, and governed by Dahir No. 1-58-376 of 1958 (declaratory regime: file submission to the prefecture for a provisional receipt within 60 days). Non-profit associations can be freely created to defend legitimate interests, with a presumption of legality, though refusals are possible if contrary to public morals, Islam, the monarchy, or territorial integrity (Art. 3). Oversight is provided by the National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP – Commission Nationale de Contrôle de la Protection des Données à Caractère Personnel) and the National Human Rights Council (CNDH – Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme). Individuals can also seek judicial recourse, including the possibility to challenge and overturn unjustified or abusive administrative decisions. 

While Morocco has a legal framework guaranteeing freedom of association, administrative barriers and inconsistent application of procedures can continue to affect the access to rights and the establishment and operation of associations and civil society organisations. In practice, organisations have reported difficulties submitting registration applications or obtaining registration receipts, which can in turn affect their legal status and access to funding and other activities. These barriers appear to be particularly pronounced for organisations working on politically sensitive issues, including human rights.

 LINKS TO THE MOST RELEVANT FRAMEWORKS ON WORKERS' RIGHTS

  1. Code du Travail (Law No. 65-99)
    Provides the main legal framework for employment relations in Morocco. Regulates employment contracts, working hours, overtime, paid annual leave, maternity protection, occupational health and safety, non-discrimination principles, and workers’ representation.
     
  2. Constitution of the Kingdom of Morocco (2011) 
    Preamble: recognises Morocco’s commitment to human rights, participatory democracy, and international human rights principles. Articles 12–14: establish the role of civil society organisations and associations in participatory democracy and recognise the freedom to establish associations.
     
  3. Dahir No. 1-58-376 of 15 November 1958 regulating the right of association (as amended)
    Provides the legal framework for the creation, registration, and operation of associations in Morocco. Establishes the declaratory regime, under which associations are formed through notification to the competent administrative authority rather than prior authorisation. Article 3 defines grounds under which an association may be considered unlawful (e.g., activities contrary to public order, morals, religion, or territorial integrity).
     
  4. Social Protection Framework Law No. 09-21 in 2021
    Sets out a roadmap for achieving a more inclusive and integrated system through a unified social health insurance system, the extension of family allowances and pensions to populations previously left out, and the broadening of unemployment benefits
     
  5. National Human Rights Council 
    (CNDH – Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme)
    Independent national human rights institution responsible for monitoring human rights conditions, receiving complaints, and issuing recommendations, including regarding freedom of association and civil society space.
     
  6. National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection 
    (CNDP – Commission Nationale de Contrôle de la Protection des Données à Caractère Personnel)
    Supervises compliance with personal data protection legislation (Law No. 09-08). Relevant where associations and organisations process personal data of members, beneficiaries, or complainants.
     
  7. International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL): 
    Civic Freedom Monitor – Morocco
    Companies are obliged to pay into the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) – the contributions are 1% of salary from employer and employee each. UIF is managed under SARS (revenue authority).
     
  8. International Labour Organization (ILO): NORMLEX – Search Freedom of Association Cases.
    Documents freedom of association cases concerning trade unions and employers' organisations.
     
  9. Social Security System: Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS)
    The CNSS is the main institution responsible for social protection coverage of private sector employees in Morocco. It administers benefits related to sickness, maternity, pensions, family allowances, and occupational accidents.
     
  10. Minimum wage (SMIG – Salaire Minimum Interprofessionnel Garanti)
    The statutory minimum wage in Morocco is established through national labour regulations and government decisions. It applies mainly to non-agricultural sectors and is periodically adjusted by the government.
     
  11. Ministère de l’Inclusion Économique, de la Petite Entreprise, de l’Emploi et des Compétences (MIEPEEC)
    The Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, oversees the Labour Inspectorate (Inspection du Travail) and provides an online service portal where employees can submit inquiries and obtain information (Information on labor rights and obligations; Contact with the Labour Inspectorate (Inspection du Travail); Online forms for complaints or requests; Links to regional delegations (Délégations Provinciales ou Prefectorales de l’Emploi))
     

  12. National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC)


     

  1. Freelance work of guides

As in many countries, seasonality patterns for Moroccan guides vary by segment and territory: summer is high season on the coast and in mountain areas, while it represents a trough period on the cultural circuits of the South. They therefore often work for multiple clients or take on other jobs, making freelance work common in the sector. Many guides either prefer or need this flexibility rather than being employed by a single company. While this helps them maintain an income throughout the year, freelance work can limit their access to legal employment protections and social security benefits. 

Morocco's social protection reform, initiated through Framework Law No. 09-21 in 2021, is progressively extending coverage to self-employed and other non-salaried workers. This includes access to mandatory health insurance and the planned expansion of pension and other social protection benefits. The reform provides an important opportunity to strengthen social protection for tourism guides and other independent workers, although effective coverage and access of minimal social security standards for those who are not formally employed remain challenges. 

Awareness of and practical access to these schemes are important factors in reducing the social protection gaps associated with freelance and seasonal work. Building on this foundation, a useful next step would be to clarify how this general framework can benefit guides. 

2. Complexity in Trekking Guide System

Morocco has implemented an accreditation system for tourist guides, intended to ensure tourist safety and service quality.  However, the regulatory framework for trekking guides is complex and does not fully reflect the realities and demand of the sector, creating barriers to formal employment. 

Certified guides are registered with the Moroccan National Tourism Authority and can issue invoices. Still, many experienced trekking guides remain uncertified due to literacy barriers or concerns about the certification process. As a result, they may be officially classified as unemployed and cannot invoice clients directly. They are often engaged through informal channels, such as personal contacts or social media, resulting in inconsistent fees. Some certified guides may also choose not to formalise their status in order to avoid paying taxes. 

This situation creates challenges for tourism businesses, particularly tour operators and hotels, which require invoices for accounting purposes. In practice, they may therefore work with self-employed guides registered under the auto-entrepreneur status. Where a guide generates more than MAD 80,000 in annual turnover from services provided to the same client, the client is required to withhold 30.0 % tax on the amount exceeding this threshold and remit it to the tax authorities. The auto-entrepreneur regime itself has an annual turnover ceiling of MAD 200,000 for service activities. 

The auto-entrepreneur status can provide a useful pathway towards formalising freelance work and allows tourism companies to engage independent guides within a formal framework. However, stakeholders also raised concerns that the status can be misused for disguised employment, whereby individuals work effectively as full-time employees but are formally treated as independent contractors. This can allow companies to avoid obligations under labour law, such as employment security and minimum wage requirements, potentially increasing workers' vulnerability. At the same time, where genuinely self-employed guides retain autonomy over their work and serve multiple clients, the status can provide a viable way to formalise their activities. 

For tourists, the lack of formalisation may also create a protection gap, as many guides reportedly do not carry liability or accident insurance, potentially leaving tourists without adequate coverage in the event of an accident or other incident.

3. Temporary Work/ Undeclared Work

High unemployment and limited economic opportunities, especially in rural areas, contribute to situations where individuals accept employment below legal standards, including wages below the statutory minimum wage or outside formal systems without formal registration. 

Seasonality increases labour-related risks in Morocco’s tourism sector, as the demand for additional staff during peak periods often leads to greater reliance on temporary and flexible employment arrangements. While these practices help businesses respond to fluctuating demand, they may also increase the risk of precarious employment and reduced access to labour protections. At the same time, this also negatively impacts service quality due to the resulting staff turnover and lack of training.

Informal and undeclared labour remains a significant feature of Morocco’s labour market. According to the World Bank’s 2026 Country Growth & Jobs Report, based on HCP Labour Force Survey data, 69.4% of employed people were not covered by social security in 2024. In tourism, this can affect uncertified trekking guides, freelance drivers and guides, seasonal staff and other workers engaged outside standard salaried employment for most of their careers, limiting access to labour protections, social security and pension benefits. While Morocco’s social protection reforms are progressively extending coverage to self-employed and non-salaried workers, gaps in effective coverage remain a concern.*  Given the structural role of informal and non-standard work in Morocco’s tourism economy, this represents a broader labour rights issue rather than a purely seasonal one. 

Improving access to guide certification and pathways to decent formal employment and social protection could strengthen working conditions and support safety and service quality for tourists. expand access to social protection, as well as safety and quality standards for guests. However, formal employment should not be the sole objective. The priority should be to ensure that local people benefit from tourism through decent working conditions, social protection and reliable income opportunities, whether through employment or genuinely self-employed arrangements. 
 

* In 2025, the World Bank reported that around 75% of the population was effectively covered by health insurance, while highlighting continuing challenges among non-salaried workers. 

4. Working hours of drivers and guides

Drivers and guides in Morocco, as in many other destinations, face challenging working conditions due to fluctuating schedules, seasonal demand, and frequent last-minute itinerary changes. As they are typically assigned to the same guests throughout their trip, their working hours are difficult to manage and often extend beyond planned schedules.

Drivers frequently take on additional responsibilities beyond transportation, while working and rest times are not consistently monitored, particularly in smaller vehicles, increasing the risk of excessive working hours and insufficient rest. Tracking systems such as GPS-based driving hour controls are only mandatory in coaches, but not in smaller vehicles or 4*4 cars. This can lead to extended working hours and insufficient rest periods, particularly during high season. Drivers might sleep in vehicles, which might impact safety and quality of services.

5. Fair Wages, Collective Bargaining and Access to Grievance

The legislated minimum wage in Morocco was considered insufficient in many consultations conducted, given the rise in the cost of living in recent years. Many hotels and tourism businesses pay above the minimum wage from the start, as it is considered difficult to live decently on it, especially in major cities such as Marrakech, Casablanca and Rabat - often the primary destinations - where rent and transport costs are generally higher. In many visited tourism businesses, particularly hotels and transport companies, employees often stay long-term with low fluctuation, and most have permanent contracts, with some even advancing from entry-level positions to management roles within the same company. Some businesses provide financial support for major life events, such as marriages, family bereavements, or purchases like motorcycles or cars, either as gifts or partially repayable loans. Larger hotels often provide benefits like employee transport, meals aligned with shift schedules, and on-site accommodation, particularly in rural locations.

The workplace culture is frequently described as familial, though this dynamic might not always be entirely positive. There is not a direct causality, but the cultural context and the high unemployment rate sometimes correlates in different nuances with a high vulnerability of tourism staff and stakeholders as they see little possibility and feel little power to fight for better working conditions.

Collective bargaining and union representation appear to have limited influence in the Moroccan tourism sector. None of the interviewed workers were union members, and no collective agreements covering the transport companies or drivers consulted were identified. While collective bargaining agreements exist in Morocco, tourism is not among the sectors covered by the collective agreements identified in recent government reporting. Repeated requests for information from tourism-sector unions did not receive a response. Licensed tour guides are, however, subject to regulated tariffs, which provide a formal reference for their remuneration.*

Larger tourism companies generally complied with legal requirements to appoint worker representatives, but interviewees indicated that these representatives often play only a limited role in practice and that employment concerns are typically addressed directly through management rather than through formal worker representation. 

Morocco has an official grievance mechanism through the Labour Inspectorate (Inspection du Travail), an official body responsible for monitoring compliance with labour regulations where employees can report labour law violations. However, this mechanism was not mentioned during the conducted interviews, and awareness of formal grievance channels appeared to be limited. Interviewees generally stated that workplace issues, if they arise, are resolved internally by management, suggesting that external complaint mechanisms are rarely used and that awareness of the external complaint channel is very limited. One of the issues is also the limited number of inspectors. Inspections are infrequent, but when called upon by workers or companies, they respond.

* Further sources:

https://www.ilo.org/fr/resource/actualites/maroc-restitution-de-levaluation-du-plan-de-negociation-collective

https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB%3A13100%3A0%3A%3ANO%3A%3AP13100_COMMENT_ID%2CP13100_COUNTRY_ID%3A4408147%2C102993

https://www.ilo.org/fr/projects-and-partnerships/projects/promouvoir-le-dialogue-social-et-la-sante-et-securite-au-travail-au-maroc

Reasonably mitigate risk of non-compliance and support local systems for workers' rights and fair wages

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Compile available resources (mainly by local organisations, referring to local legislation on workers' rights, holidays, overtime, plus health, well-being, gender) and distribute them to industry partners
      • Conduct joint training interventions with local industry associations (e.g. blended learning for the E-Learning "Human Rights in Tourism", linked to local examples and Moroccan context)
      • Exchange with local organisations and institutions to plan low-level activities (webinars, on-site workshops) for different target groups, bringing forward verified local good practice
      • Follow up with local organisations for broad distribution and point out the relevance of training offers to stakeholders in Morocco and source markets
      • Support local knowledge transfer with a focus on local context
      • Disseminate good practice models for community-based tourism governance and revenue-sharing
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Encourage collaboration between large and small operators to integrate informal businesses
      • Promote structured dialogue between businesses at destination level (village, valley, district)
      • If needed, co-develop funding proposals
         
    • Mid-long term
      • Facilitate creation and strengthening of local tourism associations and formal exchange platforms
      • Support collective destination management approaches to improve coordination and reduce fragmentation
         
         

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Ask for the CNSS certificate of good standing and wage/social security payment schedules (free, available online)
      • Integrate fair wage and decent work criteria into supplier selection (pay above minimum/living wage, formal contracts, social benefits)
      • Avoid excessive price pressure in contracting; encourage fair pricing of guides, drivers and artisans
      • Regularly discuss and verify declaration of staff with local partners
         
    • Mid term
      • Include transparency expectations in contracts on wages, working conditions and subcontracting chains
      • Support long-term partnerships with local providers (income stability, less seasonality)
         
    • Mid-long term

      • Promote diversification of employment in rural destinations through programme design (longer stays, multi-activity itineraries beyond peak season)


         

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Ensure fair compensation for overtime and additional services, especially for drivers and guides
      • Formalise employment contracts to reduce informality and improve job security
         
  • Medium Priority
    • Mid term
      • Directly support cooperatives and artisans to ensure fair pricing and reduce pressure from intermediaries
      • Support self-employed and non-salaried workers in accessing self-employment status and social protection
      • Introduce transparent wage structures with pay bands and regular reviews; comparable pay for comparable work
         
  • Medium-low Priority
    • Mid-long term
      • Develop internal training and upskilling programmes for long-term career development
         
    • Long term
      • Offer extra insurance beyond state insurance (100% cost coverage in emergencies, e.g. drivers, trekking guides)
      • Improve internal HR planning to reduce dependence on seasonal, low-paid or informal labour

      • Provide more stable employment models (year-round contracts, cross-seasonal diversification)

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • Medium-high Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short term
      • Facilitate dialogue platforms on fair wages, pricing standards and working conditions
      • Produce a human rights in tourism guide adapted to the Moroccan context (all topics, not only workers' rights)
      • Follow up on the CNT salary/earnings study (2026), e.g. annual living wage surve
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short term
      • Promote fair competition principles to avoid destabilising price undercutting (workshops, campaigns)
         
    • Mid term
      • Develop recommended minimum service tariffs for guides, drivers and services (in line with the ban on price-fixing)
         
    • Mid-long term
      • Coordinate initiatives to improve working conditions in high-risk segments (transport, guiding)
      • Support joint training programmes for workforce development with vocational schools
         

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL NGOs / COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS

  • Medium-high Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Support awareness campaigns on workers' rights, fair employment and benefits of formalisation
      • Provide training and legal support for workers in informal or vulnerable employment
      • Facilitate dialogue between workers and employers in destinations with high informality
         
    • Mid term
      • Monitor and report exploitative labour practices in tourism-dependent regions
         
  • Low-medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid-long term
      • Support youth employment programmes and skills development in rural tourism areas
      • Promote community-based tourism models that retain more value locally
         

⇒ ACTION STEPS -  GOVERNMENT / LOCAL AUTHORITIES

  • Medium-high Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Improve access to affordable social protection for self-employed and non-salaried workers (simplified registration, guidance, contribution mechanisms)
      • Raise awareness among self-employed to pay contributions regularly (to avoid accumulating arrears)
      • Strengthen enforcement of labour regulations (more inspections, explain rights to workers), especially for informal and undeclared work in rural settings
         
    • Mid term
      • Strengthen pathways from informal to formal employment
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Provide incentives for businesses that formalise employment and offer stable year-round contracts
      • Develop sector-wide pay tariff band recommendations for key professions (in line with freedom of pricing and competition law)
         
  • Low-medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid-long term
      • Encourage destination-level planning to balance supply and demand and reduce extreme price competition
      • Support mechanisms for collective bargaining or sector dialogue on wages and working conditions
      • Expand unemployment reduction programmes and vocational training tailored to tourism needs
      • Incentivise membership in unions or associations to promote workers' rights
         
    • Long term
      • Address seasonal unemployment through regional diversification strategies and off-season tourism development
Freedom of association and collective bargaining  
 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • Medium-high Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Ensure information is accessible to all employees through multiple communication channels
      • Engage local partners on freedom of association and collective bargaining as part of ongoing human rights due diligence (awareness, respect for workers' rights, access to worker representation)
         
    • Mid term
      • Strengthen the role and capacity of workers' representatives through training on rights, representation mechanisms and topics for management
         

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • Medium-high Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short term
      • Ensure information is accessible to all employees through multiple communication channels
    • Short-mid term
      • Facilitate informed employee participation in existing forms of representation (information on trade unions and other bodies, without influencing the choice)
      • Strengthen the role and capacity of workers' representatives through training

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • Medium-high Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Invite unions to talk about their work
      • Promote association and/or union membership to members
    • Mid term
      • Create exchange formats for workers of members to incentivise union membership
Establishing responsible working conditions for drivers and guides
 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term 
      • Include proper accommodation and meal allowance for drivers travelling with the group
      • Communicate clear working-hour policies to clients and in-house staff (e.g. no entitlement to dinner/evening support from drivers and guides; safety as a key aspect)
      • Structure itineraries so drivers and guides can manage them with enough breaks and without overtime ("itinerary reflects due diligence")
         
  • Medium-high priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Communicate the "worker welfare first" principle to local partners: welfare gets the same priority as customer demands in decisions
      • Sensitise purchasing and on-site planning with local partners; set clear policies on workers' welfare
      • Offer drivers the possibility to join travellers' activities (e.g. project visits) if interested


⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL TOURISM BUSINESSES 

  • Medium-high priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short term
      • Communicate clear working-hour policies to clients and in-house staff (no entitlement to evening support, safety as key aspect)
         

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH 

  • Medium-high priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Exchange with local organisations on formats for participative on-site workshops with drivers and guides to develop solutions from within the group, actively including local context and individual wishes
         
    • Mid term
      • Exchange on formats that back drivers and guides in representing their rights to customers
         

⇒ ACTION STEPS - GOVERNMENT / LOCAL AUTHORITIES

  • Medium-high Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term 
      • Engage guide associations to actively support registration and certification (training, registration assistance)
      • Improve access to minimum social security for non-employed guides (self-employment programme)
         
    • Mid term

      • Simplify certification for guides: adjust exams, literacy programmes (especially foreign languages), practical training, lower entry levels

  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Establish new rules so more guides can obtain licences, supported e.g. by language courses
      • Increase the income limit for self-employed guides (currently 200,000 MAD/year) or introduce flexible tiers
         
    • Long term
      • Create a pension scheme for freelance/non-employed guides
      • Reform regulations to better reflect the realities of mountain tourism

Good Practice

  • The guide association in Fes has organised Hebrew courses for guides, because a lot of Israeli groups always brought their own guides.
     
  • Tourisme Durable Suisse–Maroc (TDSM) programme
    Implemented by Swisscontact, has supported the professionalisation of tourism workers, including training for natural-area guides and outdoor-sports instructors. In partnership with Intrepid Travel, TDSM also supported female candidates preparing for Morocco's official natural-area guide certification examination.
     
  • “Outdoor Activities in the Service of Biodiversity” programme in Ifrane National Park supports sustainable tourism and local livelihoods through capacity-building and funding for local tourism businesses and entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on young people and women. 
     
  • One of the areas in B Corp certification that (tourism) businesses are assessed against is whether for employees or contractors that work 20+ hours a week for at least 6 months per year for one company (not self-declared freelancers), businesses offer equal cancellation periods when using variable schedules. This means that for employed guides, if a tour operator says that they will change a trip with up to 24 hours' notice, the workers must be able to do the same.

Resources

  • CNT Academy
    An online professional training platform launched by the Confédération Nationale du Tourisme (CNT) in partnership with the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT). The platform is aimed at tourism and hospitality professionals and offers courses and short video-based learning designed to support professional development and competitiveness. The initiative is committed to continuing its development as a free training resource for tourism professionals.
Child Rights

Morocco has a school duty for elementary school and introduced legal protections for children through instruments such as the Labour Code (Law No. 65-99), which establishes a minimum working age and restrictions on hazardous work for children, as well as the National Action Plan for Children, the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and relevant ILO conventions on child labour. 

It might appear in rural, remote areas that children support their family business or try to sell souvenirs to tourists after school but child labour was not considered a systemic problem in Moroccan tourism anymore. 

Despite these legislative advances, implementation remains uneven and challenges remain concerning access to child protection mechanisms, and the inclusion of vulnerable populations, including rural communities, migrants, and informal workers.

Relevant policy instruments addressing children's rights include 

School visits, project visits involving children, and activities with involvement of children are part of several tourism products to support local communities in Morocco.

Tourism-related activities involving children can create child-protection risks, particularly where they involve direct contact with children or vulnerable groups and are not subject to adequate safeguarding measures. Risks include sexual exploitation, trafficking, and other forms of abuse (ECPAT Voluntourism Global Case Study 2025).

Various sources indicate an elevated risk to children's rights in Morocco's tourism sector, particularly in Marrakech (based on preliminary consultations with expert organisations) and in connection with events and incentive travel (e.g. Child Rights Association reports and the FIFA 2030 World Cup Bid Report). However, the interviews and site visits conducted as part of this assessment did not provide sufficient evidence to draw broader conclusions, as interviewees were generally reluctant to discuss the issue and only limited information was shared. One interviewee reported, as an isolated and unverified testimony, having observed young women and men under 18 offering sexual services in Tangier, and linked this observation to tourism; this single account cannot be generalised and would require further verification. At the same time, no preventive child safeguarding measures and very little awareness or discussion of child protection risks was observed among the tourism service providers and stakeholders consulted.

Training, awareness raising, sensitisation of local partners and local accommodation staff on child rights and safeguarding
 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  •  High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Encourage all hotels, accommodation providers and agencies to join and implement The Code / actively support it; go in dialogue about this risk (narrative: "you are not guilty, but we all have a responsibility", no finger rising but constructive support and sensitisation)
      • Internal sensitisation and discussion with staff to bring topic forward 
      • Make sure to be aware of Moroccan context and include insights from local experts; e.g., plan webinar with RT/ child rights organisation
    • Mid-term
      • Provide travelers with information material before or during the trip, or in preparation of specific activities that involve contact to children, e.g., “Do’s and Don’ts when dealing with children in travel and tourism”, including Moroccan context
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid-long term
      • Check possibility to support local child rights organisations. Discuss internally and get in contact. 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-term
      • Awareness raising, sensitisation of staff on child safeguarding
      • DMCs: Sensitise all guides about child safeguarding and sex. harassment topics, how to act and where to report incidents/ suspicious behaviour 
    • Short-mid term
      • Train staff on child safeguarding, e.g. with the online trainings of “The Code”
      • Sign/ Become member of The Code

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS/ COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-term
      • Guide association/ CNT: sensitise all guides about child safeguarding and sex. harassment topics
      • Promote The Code
      • Discuss with local expert organisations how to find neutral, suitable formats for sensitisation of local partners/ staff in Morocco 
    • Mid-term
      • Active awareness rising/ sensitisation of all association members
      • Support/ fund/ facilitate trainings on child protection and safeguarding for tourism stakeholders
      • Initiate or support multi-stakeholder settings to discuss this topic/ create awareness on this topic (e.g., connect with ECPAT Germany on collaboration, or tour operators for concrete measures)
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-term
      • Share list with contacts of local expert child rights organisations 
      • Raise awareness to avoid encouraging begging, particularly by children
    • Mid-long term
      • Create policy template on child safeguarding in Moroccan tourism
Support Creation of child rights policies and Supplier Code of Conducts on child protection for tour operators, DMCs, local tourism businesses and stakeholders

Remark: Hotels and other tourism businesses need to have standardised due diligence processes regarding the prevention of (sexual) exploitation of children and involvement of children in tourism activities. 
 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Develop policy in collaboration with local partners to include local context and perspectives. 
        E.g, to jointly commit to
        • not use photos of children in any of their promotional materials, 
        • not allow guests to take pictures of children during visits,
        • only market activities involving children where these form part of the supplier’s Corporate Social Investment or community-development activities, and only if appropriate safeguarding measures are in place.
        • find other ways to show success stories (through films…) than visits and performances of projects and activities with children

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Create policy template for industry regarding Morocco (with local context integrated)
      • Initiate collaboration/ exchange formats with (local) NGOs working on these topics, initiate multi-stakeholder exchange
Support local organisations, community-led registered projects and locally developed tools and systems working on this topic 
 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Share contacts of local organisations for various relevant child rights topics, and experiences from impact assessment consultations to industry. 

 Good Practice 

Further Resources and Guidance 

Cultural Heritage Preservation

Morocco has a large cultural heritage and is home to 9 internationally recognised UNESCO World Heritage sites. 

The country has a relatively comprehensive legal framework for the protection of cultural heritage. The key legal basis is Law No. 22-80 on the Conservation of Historic Monuments, Sites, Inscriptions, Art Objects and Antiquities, which has been amended and supplemented on several occasions. This is supplemented by other laws and international conventions. UNESCO documents and management plans are in place for UNESCO World Heritage sites 

Still, preservation of cultural heritage in Morocco faces significant challenges as effective management and conservation often lag behind growing tourism demand. Beyond the physical conservation of heritage sites, there is also a growing risk that increasing commercialization and mass tourism may erode cultural authenticity, traditional values and local ways of life, as has been observed in other destinations that experienced rapid tourism development. 

While the Ministry supports the conservation of historic buildings, experts argue that restoration efforts frequently prioritise modernisation over authenticity. They emphasise the need for tourism policies that not only protect monuments and historic sites, but also safeguard local communities, cultural traditions, authenticity and intangible heritage through more inclusive and participatory heritage management.

From a tourism perspective, it is worth noting that the legislation not only concerns the preservation of historic buildings, but also the use of historic buildings (e.g. conversion into hotels/riads), restoration standards, the protection of archaeological sites and approval of tourism infrastructure within protected areas as well as management of UNESCO sites and the preservation of traditional crafts and intangible cultural heritage. Particularly in the case of UNESCO sites such as Aït Ben Haddou, Marrakesh or Fès, these national laws apply in conjunction with UNESCO’s requirements.

As part of the conducted assessment, we took a closer look at the UNESO World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou. In practice, it receives large numbers of visitors but lacks effective management, and structured collaboration with local communities as far as available documentation of UNESCO shows. Only a few families continue to live within the historic ksar, highlighting the challenge of preserving its traditional mud-brick architecture. 

Side note: In general, there are over 4,000 ksars in Morocco. The vast majority are abandoned or even in ruins. There are often complex inheritance and succession issues, causing them to remain empty. Preservation programs do exist. It might be worth looking at them to see to what extent—if at all—they benefit tourism. 

UNESCO welcomed the adoption of the 2020–2030 Management Plan for Aït Ben Haddou and acknowledged Morocco's efforts to restore the site following the 2023 earthquake. At the same time, the World Heritage Committee noted with concern the development of commercial activities and tourist accommodation within the property to the detriment of its residential functions, and encourages the State Party to resume the revitalisation and community awareness-raising activities outlined in the 2020-2030 management plan. 

Further progress is needed to strengthen implementation of the management plan, including the establishment of an adequately resourced management structure, the development of visitor and risk management plans, and measures to address increasing tourism-related commercialisation and the loss of the site's residential function.

Give opportunities to young, qualified but inexperienced local guides and drivers in tours, actively discuss topic with local partners to find solutions
 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short term
      • Sensitise guides about privacy and local traditions, and give them a clear mandate to tell travellers what not to do and to prohibit certain behaviour, in line with agency/ tour operator principles
      • Sensitise travellers before the trip to respect habitats and cultural sights (e.g. Todra valley, Ait Benhaddou). 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Initiate/ create formats for participation and discussion with local authoritites and stakeholders to discuss: How can locals/ community profit sustainably from world heritage site? How can the site be sustained and managed? What regulation makes sense for a sustainable development of Ait Benhaddou (also regarding litter and water) - using Imlil or other heritage sites as possible role model (school built etc.) how good management serves the community.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - GOVERNMENT / LOCAL AUTHORITIES 

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Implement the mandatory Management Plan for Ait Benhaddou: Publicly accessible and implementation/ activities/ concrete actions regularly discussed and co-created with the local community/ committee. / Establish transparent process. 
      • Establish a visitor management plan, aligned with the existing heritage management framework and UNESCO recommendations, to organise visitor flows, protect the outstanding universal value of the site, and address pressures from commercial activities. The system should be supported by a clearly defined management structure, responsibilities, and sustainable financing mechanisms, while ensuring that tourism generates tangible benefits for the local community, e.g. through a public fund for
        • Heritage restoration (using traditional mud-brick techniques).
        • Water management (rainwater harvesting, wells).
        • Education (scholarships for local children).
           
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Use of community fund managed by a local committee (residents, artisans, guides, religious leaders) - establish cooperative approach
      • Revive and institutionalise the earlier participatory management approach and extend it to include contemporary issues such as tourism management, climate adaptation, water, waste, energy and local economic development. Build on Moroccan experiences from other heritage sites (e.g., Rabat, Essaouira) to strengthen local participation, clear responsibilities, coordinated implementation and sustainable tourism management.
    • Mid-long term
      • Strengthen financial or tax incentives for the preservation and adaptive reuse of traditional buildings for tourism, while ensuring that restoration maintains their cultural and architectural character.
      • Redirect a portion of film location fees (from productions like Gladiator) to the community fund.

Good Practice

  • Rabat provides a useful Moroccan reference for institutional governance and coordination of a world heritage site, while Essaouira offers relevant experience in linking heritage conservation, urban development, local living conditions and stakeholder consultation.

Further Resources and Guidance

Gender Equality and Harassment

Women’s participation in the tourism sector

Tourism offers important employment opportunities for women, particularly in roles such as housekeeping, kitchen work, spa services and handicraft production. There is also an increasing demand for female drivers and local tour guides. For women without formal qualifications, the sector can offer valuable access to income generation and economic independence. 

However, women’s participation varies significantly between urban and rural areas. In urban centres, women generally have greater access to education, more diverse employment opportunities, and stronger career progression pathways. Women are increasingly represented in different roles within tourism businesses, including supervisory and management positions, and in many cases benefit from relatively equal pay compared to male colleagues.

In rural areas, women’s participation in tourism remains much more limited. Cultural norms, restricted mobility, lower access to education, and traditional expectations regarding women’s roles within households continue to create barriers. In some cases, women leave employment due to opposition from family members, particularly husbands.

Social and cultural barriers

Gender stereotypes and traditional social norms remain important factors influencing women’s access to employment and entrepreneurship. Women-led initiatives, including cooperatives, have sometimes faced resistance from local communities. Examples include difficulties obtaining support from male community members or accessing land and resources under fair conditions as reported by the Tawesna Tea House in Ait Benhaddou or the women cooperative in Achbarou that were visited during the assessment.

Educational barriers further limit women’s opportunities, particularly in rural areas. Girls may leave school early due to long distances, limited transport options, or household expectations. Limited awareness of legal rights can also contribute to vulnerability, including regarding issues such as child marriage, which remains a challenge in some regions despite legal restrictions.

Workplace conditions and gender-related risks

Across Morocco’s tourism sector, women continue to face challenges related to gender stereotypes, sexual harassment, and limited support structures that affect their ability to remain in employment.

Maternity and childcare remain significant barriers to women’s long-term participation in the workforce. Available maternity and parental support is often insufficient. The duration of maternity leave is 14 weeks,(98 days), of which 7 postnatal weeks are mandatory under the Labour Code (Law No. 65-99, art. 152), consistent with ILO Convention Nr. 183. Paternity leave is only 3 days. The absence of affordable childcare options creates additional pressure, particularly for lower-income workers. As a result, some women return to work shortly after childbirth or leave employment entirely.

In urban areas, women generally benefit from better career progression, more diverse job roles, and relatively equal pay, including access to management positions. However, social norms continue to weigh heavily—such as housework and child-rearing—with women shouldering far more of the burden than men, even in urban areas.

In rural areas, participation is much more limited due to cultural norms, restricted mobility, lower access to education, and social barriers

Across the sector, challenges remain around gender stereotypes, sexual harassment, limited maternity and childcare support, and constraints that can affect women’s ability to stay in the workforce.

The topic of workplace discrimination and women’s rights are very regulated and there is a lot of information/ projects/ practice available. 

Gender diversity in tourism employment

While tourism creates opportunities for women, some areas of employment remain strongly gendered. Female participation is increasing in roles such as local guiding and driving, but positions involving long-distance travel, 4x4 desert tours, or coach driving remain uncommon due to cultural expectations and perceptions regarding women’s mobility and safety.
Tourism businesses that actively promote female employment often need to engage with local communities and families to overcome social resistance. Dialogue with community members and families has proven important in supporting women’s continued participation in the sector.

Retention of female employees and career development

A key challenge for tourism businesses is not only recruiting women but also ensuring long-term retention and career progression. Some businesses report that women who have worked successfully for several years leave their positions due to family pressure rather than workplace-related reasons.
While urban tourism businesses increasingly provide opportunities for women to advance into leadership positions, rural tourism businesses face greater challenges in creating inclusive working environments due to limited labour pools, mobility restrictions, and social expectations.

"It is not easy to employ women. We try hard, we do a lot of exchange with locals about it - sometimes women who work a long time with us drop out - when we ask why, their husbands don't want them to work anymore. We go into dialogue."

Workplace protection and responsible management

Sexual harassment and inappropriate customer behaviour remain concerns within the tourism sector. While some businesses have established internal support mechanisms that allow employees to report incidents to managers and receive assistance, such systems are not always anonymous. This can create additional barriers for affected employees, particularly when strong power imbalances exist between employees and managers or between female employees and customers. Fear of retaliation, losing employment, reputational consequences, or not being believed may discourage employees from reporting incidents. Therefore, effective prevention requires not only internal reporting structures but also safe, confidential, and trusted mechanisms, clear procedures for handling complaints, and awareness training for both management and staff.

"If there is a problem with customer behaviour I can tell the manager about it. He is taking care of us" (answer regarding sexual harassment in the workplace)

Gender equality and anti-discrimination in Moroccan tourism require both legal frameworks and practical measures. Key actions include improving women’s access to employment and career opportunities, addressing safety and mobility barriers, supporting family-friendly working conditions, and preventing harassment and discrimination. Responsible tourism should promote inclusive workplaces through clear policies, reporting mechanisms, awareness training, and respectful workplace cultures adapted to Morocco’s social and economic context, and practical operational realities in Moroccan tourism businesses. 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short-mid term
      • Include gender equality and anti-discrimination criteria in supplier policies, contracts, and partnership agreements with local tourism businesses.
      • Work with hotels, guides, transport providers, and community organisations to identify barriers for women and develop practical solutions for women empowerment in tourism (incl. dialogue on access to jobs and diversification of roles).
      • Include activities in tours that support women, e.g., women cooperatives.
      • Raise travellers’ awareness of respectful interaction, local social contexts, and the importance of women’s participation in tourism. 
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid-term 
      • Insert gender criteria into the "contrats-progrès" signed with federations (training, awareness, women's participation).
      • Encourage and support local tourism businesses to adopt CSR charters and internal policies with concrete gender-parity actions.
      • Push local partner firms to join equality charters or networks (e.g. the We4She network).
      • Collaborate with women-focused initiatives, projects and NGOs that create employment, training, and leadership opportunities for women. 

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Avoid gender stereotypes in visuals and messaging; present a realistic, inclusive image of staff and travellers.
      • Ensure safe and inclusive workplaces: Establish clear anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies, confidential reporting mechanisms, and clear management responsibility for addressing complaints. 
         
    • Short-mid term
      • Improve women’s access to employment: Encourage inclusive recruitment practices and create diverse job opportunities. Set a goal: 10% female drivers for local tours and transfers. 
      • Support women to become local guides and drivers (female training programmes/ coaching/ on-the-job training).
      • Strengthen awareness and dialogue with staff, local partners, families, and communities on women’s rights and increase acceptance of women’s employment in tourism. 
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasiblity)
    • Mid term
      • Create supportive working conditions: family-friendly policies, flexible working arrangements, and childcare support where possible to enable women’s long-term participation. 
      • Promote professional development:training, mentoring, and pathways for women into leadership roles. 
         
    • Mid-long term
      • Co-create products with women's groups and gather sex-disaggregated data on customer needs. Involve women professionals and gender experts in product-design teams.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Encourage businesses to formalise anti-discrimination and anti-GBV procedures and communicate them to staff.
      • Publish a practical guide, with the sector federations, on how to integrate gender inside tourism businesses, building on UN Tourism guidelines.
      • Showcase successful women in the sector to reduce stigma.
      • Awareness raising/ sensitisation for members, incl. discussions with businesses, families, and communities to increase acceptance of women working in tourism. 
         
    • Short-mid term
      • Help local tourism operators implement inclusive workplace practices and effective gender equality measures; support women empowerment initiatives. 
      • Work with businesses to promote inclusive, transparent and fair recruitment processes.
      • Deliver targeted training for women and youth, focused on digital skills, management and foreign languages.
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Create platforms for exchange and collaborative solutions (businesses, government, NGOs, communities, education providers), reflecting Morocco's context: Facilitate dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and joint projects that promote women’s participation and leadership in tourism. 
      • Set up mentoring schemes and professional networks for women - pairing experienced mentors (men and women) with women entrepreneurs.
      • Create incentives for tourism businesses that commit to hiring and training women.
         

    • Mid-long term

      • Counter gender stereotypes in technical training (guiding seen as "male", traditional cooking as "female") through early awareness and orientation.
      • Strengthen women's presence in sector bodies such as the CNT and FNIH, and regional tourism councils (CRT).
      • Create a label or awards scheme for businesses with a strong equality commitment.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - GOVERNMENT / LOCAL AUTHORITIES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Value women-led projects in ONMT/CRT promotion and communication.
    • Mid term
      • Monitor progress: Collect data and evaluate developments in women’s employment and gender equality within the tourism sector.
      • Target women-led businesses when launching support programmes, and give more weight to gender criteria in selection.
         
    • Mid-long term
      • Strengthen enabling frameworks: Ensure the implementation of labour rights, anti-discrimination measures, and protection mechanisms. 
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Develop programmes supporting women’s employment, entrepreneurship, and access to leadership positions. 
      • Provide microfinance plus business-management training designed for women entrepreneurs in tourism.
      • Build support networks and exchange platforms for women to share best practice and access resources.
         
    • Long term
      • Improve supporting infrastructure: Invest in safe mobility solutions, childcare services, and access to education and vocational training. 
      • Encourage banks and financial institutions to offer preferential terms for tourism projects with a gender dimension.

Good Practice

  • Women cooperatives make a difference to rural women - good practice examples: Achbarou Women's Cooperative and Tawesna Tea House in Ait Benhaddou - supported with contracts to bring groups by tour operators (without economic dependency from them)
     
  • Intrepid Training Programmes: Intrepid Travel Morocco has developed training for guides and local staff and partners on harassment and women’s rights – can be shared with industry partners
     
  • Marrakech Green Wheels
    Offers bike tours in Marrakech and Atlas but also offers road safety workshops and sensitising and repairs of bikes in schools (2025: 130 bikes repaired for students, 2026 until now: 150 bikes repaired) - mostly in Atlas Mountains where there is no transport/ access to schools - want to create need for authorities/ municipalities to build cycling infrastructure --> also related to girls's drop out from schools
     
  • Women Guiding Initiative
    A specific women-guides initiative was launched in May 2023 as a partnership between TDSM and the travel agency Intrepid Travel. The core aim was to overcome the obstacles women tour guides face and strengthen their presence in the sector. It targeted women who had been selected in the Ministry of Tourism's competitive exam for guides d'espace naturel (nature/outdoor guides). Ten women candidates were selected and coached by Intrepid throughout the exam-preparation process. Two young candidates from the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region received TDSM support specifically and were mentored by an experienced female guide from Intrepid's Marrakech agency.
     
  • We4She Network 
    The We4She association harnesses the power of collective intelligence to support women’s leadership in Morocco. As a leading professional network for women, its mission is to bring together businesses and institutions to promote women’s empowerment and accelerate gender parity. Through its awareness-raising initiatives against stereotypes, it is building an inclusive ecosystem that fosters diversity and inclusion at all levels of decision-making.

Further Resources

Community Impact: Local Employment and Training on the Job

Tourism is deeply embedded in many Moroccan communities and plays a crucial role in local livelihoods. In several destinations, a significant share of households depends directly or indirectly on tourism-related income, as alternative employment opportunities in sectors such as agriculture or industry are often limited. Tourism therefore contributes not only to income generation but also to decentralised economic development beyond major urban centres.

Many tourism businesses demonstrate a strong sense of social responsibility towards their employees and communities. Informal support structures, such as financial assistance during personal emergencies, are common, and some businesses maintained employment even during severe crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. These practices highlight the strong social ties between tourism businesses and local communities.

However, in remote or rural areas, local hiring tends to be limited to low-skilled, entry-level jobs. For middle and senior management positions—or even supervisory roles—employers are often forced to look elsewhere due to a lack of local talent. This highlights the disparities in access to education and training between major cities and other areas.

Informal employment and skills development

A significant share of tourism workers are recruited locally, often without formal education or professional tourism training. Employees frequently require skills through on-the-job learning. This creates important opportunities for economic participation and social inclusion. However, the reliance on informal training also creates challenges  regarding career development, professionalisation and consistent service quality.

In many destinations in Morocco, tourism has grown rapidly and is highly dynamic. Generally, regulations and legal frameworks are in place, but their implementation and application is not always properly monitored.This has contributed to the expansion of informal guesthouses and tourism businesses that are often not (yet) registered or integrated into official systems. 

Local operators and businesses often benefit from informal networks and mutual support based on personal relationships. However, formal associations, coordination structures, and regular platforms for exchange remain limited. This can make coordinated planning and the sustainable management of tourism growth more challenging.

Employment conditions, wages and economic pressure 

Tourism provides employment opportunities across different skill levels, including for people with limited formal qualifications. However, high unemployment rates, particularly among young people, create vulnerabilities within the sector. Unemployment among young people aged 24 to 35 reached about 35% in 2025, according to the Moroccan High Commission for Planning.

With limited alternatives, some workers may accept informal employment, wages below legal minimum standards, or insecure working conditions rather than remaining unemployed.

Although many businesses pay above the official minimum wage because it is considered insufficient relative to the cost of living, wage-setting is often determined individually by employers without transparent salary structures, collective bargaining mechanisms, or sector-wide agreements. Salary increases do not always reflect inflation or rising living costs.

Many employees interviewed during assessments had worked for the same company for long periods, often more than 10–20 years. Long-term employment can indicate stability and positive working relationships; however, it may also reflect limited mobility in the labour market and a lack of alternative employment opportunities. Without regular salary adjustments and career development opportunities, long-term employment does not necessarily guarantee improved economic security.

Market competition and pressure on local suppliers

Strong competition within the tourism sector has contributed in some destinations to a “race to the bottom”, with businesses competing primarily through low prices. This can negatively affect wages, working conditions, and the income of self-employed tourism workers.

Local artisans and cooperatives, particularly those producing souvenirs and handicrafts, also face challenges competing in highly commercialised markets such as Marrakech, where low prices and mass-produced goods can undermine locally produced items.

While Moroccan labour legislation establishes general employment standards, there is no specific legal requirement linking tourism businesses to local hiring or community employment targets. Local employment therefore largely depends on business practices, community relationships, and local labour market conditions.

Given Morocco’s high unemployment rates, tourism has significant potential as a driver of economic inclusion and job creation. The sector creates employment opportunities across different skill levels and can support small local businesses and suppliers, including accommodation providers, transport operators, guides, artisans, and food producers.

The decentralised nature of tourism is particularly important in Morocco, as many tourism destinations are located outside major urban centres. Tourism can therefore create employment opportunities in rural areas where economic alternatives are limited.

Due to limited availability of vocational tourism training, especially in rural and remote regions, many tourism businesses play an important role in directly training and developing local employees. On-the-job training enables people without formal qualifications to enter the labour market and develop professional skills.

However, the lack of structured training pathways remains a challenge. Expanding access to vocational education, professional certification, and cooperation between tourism businesses and training institutions would help improve career opportunities, service quality, and long-term sustainability of the sector.

If rapid growth continues without formalisation, training and better coordination, this may reinforce inequalities, reduce service quality and weaken the long-term sustainability of destinations in Morocco. To ensure that tourism growth benefits communities more equally, further development of local associations, cooperation platforms, and formal tourism structures is needed. Stronger coordination can help improve labour conditions, support local suppliers, increase transparency, and ensure that tourism development contributes to inclusive community development.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Include community responsibility criteria in supplier selection (e.g. local employment, fair wages, community contribution mechanisms).
      • Share E-Learning Human Rights in Tourism with local partners and promote the training
      • Encourage transparency towards guests regarding how tourism revenue benefits local communities.
      • Promote traveller awareness about local economic realities and the importance of supporting locally owned businesses.
         
    • Short-mid term
      • Monitor and report grievances to create action plan to ameliorate
      • Support and prioritise businesses that reinvest part of tourism income into local development (e.g. percentage-based community contributions).
         
    • Mid term
      • Integrate community-based tourism experiences into programmes in cooperation with small local providers.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL TOURISM BUSINESSES

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Establish fair employment practices, including informal support mechanisms for workers in emergencies.
      • Strengthen transparency in pricing and communication of local benefits to guests.
         
    • Short-mid term
      • Invest in staff training (hospitality, management, accounting, service quality) to improve professionalisation.
      • Support formal registration and licensing of businesses to reduce informality and improve access to support schemes.
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Participate in or initiate community contribution schemes (e.g. fixed percentage of revenues for local projects).
      • Cooperate with neighbouring businesses to pool resources for shared community initiatives.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - ASSOCIATIONS / COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

  • High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short term
      • Compile available local resources (by local organisations, referring to local legislation on workers' rights, holidays, overtime, plus health, well-being, gender) and distribute them to industry partners. 
      • Exchange with local organisations, associations and institutions to plan low-level activities (webinars, on-site workshops), for different target groups, bringing forward local (verified) good practice. 
      • Follow-up with local organisations and institutions for broad distribution and point out relevance of training offers to stakeholders in Morocco and source markets.
         
    • Short-mid term
      • Conduct joint training interventions with local industry associations (e.g. blended learning for the E-Learning "Human Rights in Tourism", linked to local examples and Moroccan context)
      • Support local knowledge transfer, with a focus on local context.
      • Disseminate good practice models for community-based tourism governance and revenue-sharing.
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid-term 
      • Encourage collaboration between large and small operators to improve integration of informal businesses.
      • Promote structured dialogue between tourism businesses at local destination level (village, valley, district).
      • If needed, co-develop funding proposals
         
    • Mid-long term
      • Facilitate creation and strengthening of local tourism associations and formal exchange platforms.
      • Support collective destination management approaches to improve coordination and reduce fragmentation.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - GOVERNMENT / LOCAL AUTHORITIES

  • Medium-High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short-mid term
      • Simplify registration and formalisation procedures for small tourism businesses.
      • Provide targeted training programmes and capacity-building support for local entrepreneurs and workers.
         
    • Mid term
      • Strengthen enforcement of basic standards while enabling gradual formalisation rather than exclusion.
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Mid term
      • Improve monitoring and data collection on informal tourism activities and destination development.
         
    • Mid-long term
      • Develop frameworks for community benefit-sharing mechanisms linked to tourism revenues.
      • Support infrastructure and social investment in tourism-dependent communities.

⇒ ACTION STEPS - LOCAL NGOs AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS

  • Medium-High Priority (reg. severity and feasibility) 
    • Short-mid term
      • Facilitate training and empowerment programmes for local workers and entrepreneurs.
         
  • Medium Priority (reg. severity and feasibility)
    • Short-mid term
      • Mediate between tourism businesses and local residents to strengthen trust and cooperation.
         
    • Mid term
      • Promote fair distribution mechanisms for tourism income within communities.
      • Support community-based tourism initiatives and local development projects funded by tourism revenues.
         
    • Mid-long term
      • Help establish transparent community funds or local associations managing shared resources.

Good Practice

  • Imlil (High Atlas region):
    Imlil demonstrates a strong local governance model involving 13 village sectors. The mule transport system is managed through a local association that regulates tariffs, coordinates services, and ensures fair income distribution. Publicly displayed prices and central meeting points increase transparency, while the requirement that mule ownership remains local guarantees that tourism revenues directly benefit residents. A rotating system, in which different village sectors provide mule services each day, further supports equitable participation and community coordination.
     
  • Hotel Kasbah du Toubkal (Imlil, High Atlas):
    The hotel Kasbah du Toubkal operates a transparent community benefit model in which 5% of guest revenues are automatically allocated to local development projects. The contribution is communicated openly to guests and partners in advance. Although initially met with some resistance, the system is now fully accepted and demonstrates a structured approach to ensuring that tourism income directly supports the surrounding community rather than functioning merely as a conventional tourist tax.

Further Resources

WEBINARS
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Lunch & Learn: Tourism Impact Assessment Morocco - Findings, Measures, and Opportunities for Engagement

WEBINAR 11 November 2026, 12 - 1 pm CET

Join us for an online webinar exploring insights from the collaborative project “Tourism Impact Assessment in Morocco”. This impact assessment was initiated by the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism in collaboration with key partners Brot für die Welt, EXO Travel, Intrepid Travel, and Kneissl Touristik, and local facilitation support of the consultancy Impact Experts in Rabat. The project was also supported by the Sustainable Development Commission of the Confédération Nationale du Tourisme (CNT) in Morocco. This session will present findings from on-site consultations conducted in June 2026 along Morocco’s key tourism routes, including Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Ouarzazate, Marrakech and Imlil, with a particular focus on impacts of mid-range group tourism products. Participants will be introduced to the online report created as part of the initiative, offering insight into the outcomes and perspectives emerging from this collective effort.

Register Now
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