Morocco is accelerating efforts to develop tourism in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, a move that international observers and Sahrawi activists denounce as a calculated strategy to cement its de facto annexation. The initiative, launched under the banner of economic development, includes the construction of beach resorts, desert camps and cultural sites in the region. Rabat portrays these projects as a boon for local employment and a showcase of stability, but critics argue they are designed to overwrite the territory’s distinct identity and normalise Moroccan sovereignty in defiance of United Nations resolutions.
The Western Sahara conflict, a dormant yet unresolved dispute since Spain’s withdrawal in 1975, pits Morocco against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks independence for the Sahrawi people. A UN-brokered ceasefire collapsed in 2020, and diplomatic efforts remain stalled. Morocco, which controls roughly 80% of the territory, including its Atlantic coastline and phosphate reserves, has sought to bolster its claim through infrastructure investments and international recognition, notably the 2020 US declaration backing Moroccan sovereignty in exchange for normalisation with Israel.
According to tourism officials, the new strategy targets high-end travellers from Europe and the Gulf, with flights now landing in Dakhla and Laayoune. Tour operators advertise “untouched beaches” and “authentic Sahrawi hospitality” while carefully omitting the political context. One promotional video, shared by the Moroccan National Tourist Office, features sweeping aerial shots of dunes and coastal hamlets, accompanied by the tagline: “A land of peace and promise.”
Yet the narrative of peace is contested. Human rights groups accuse Moroccan authorities of suppressing dissent, limiting press freedom and restricting movement in Sahrawi-majority areas. The Polisario Front maintains that tourism development is a form of colonisation by other means. “They are trying to erase our history and replace our culture with a Moroccan fantasy,” said Sidi Ould Mohamed, a Sahrawi activist based in Tindouf, Algeria. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, the Polisario’s government-in-exile, has called on international tour operators to boycott the region.
The Moroccan government rejects these allegations. “The Sahara has always been Moroccan. What we are doing is investing in our southern provinces, just as we do in other regions,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism. They emphasised that the projects create jobs for local Sahrawis and stimulate an economy that has long relied on state subsidies and fishing.
Analysts note that Morocco’s strategy is partly a response to shifting geopolitical dynamics. The war in Ukraine has reduced Europe’s attention on North Africa, while the Abraham Accords have opened new diplomatic channels. “Rabat is seizing a window of reduced international scrutiny,” said Dr. Dalia Fahmy, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Tourism is a soft power tool to normalise control without the costs of military occupation."
For now, the ground reality for many Sahrawis remains unchanged. In the sprawling refugee camps near Tindouf, the prospect of Moroccan tourists visiting their ancestral homeland is met with bitterness. “We are a forgotten people,” said Fatima Mahfoud, a Sahrawi woman who fled in 1975. “They bring tourists to our land while we live in tents, waiting for a referendum that never comes."
The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) continues to monitor the ceasefire line, but its mandate does not include policing economic activity. As Morocco presses ahead with its tourism agenda, the world’s attention, already fragmented, shows little sign of refocusing on the territory’s stalled decolonisation process.
