Morocco is aggressively courting tourists to Western Sahara, framing it as a pristine destination for adventurers seeking untouched landscapes. But critics see a different algorithm behind the campaign: one that consolidates control over a disputed territory through the ‘user experience’ of travel. As Tangier’s seaside cafes fill with European visitors, the Western Sahara’s dunes are being digitally marketed as a free-spirited escape, yet the reality on the ground suggests a carefully curated data set that leaves out the region’s unresolved sovereignty issues.
The new tourism strategy, launched by Morocco’s National Tourist Office, promotes Western Sahara as ‘Morocco’s secret gem’ with flights from Casablanca and luxury desert camps near Dakhla and Laayoune. But the regime in Rabat has long been accused of using economic development to cement claims over the territory, which it annexed in 1975 after Spain’s withdrawal. The Polisario Front, representing the Sahrawi people, calls the push a PR stunt designed to whitewash Morocco’s occupation, and international observers note the irony: the same digital platforms that promise unfiltered travel experiences often erase political friction.
Consider the interface. Morocco has invested heavily in infrastructure, building new airports, beaches, and fibre-optic networks. The UX for tourists is seamless: e-visas, curated Instagram-worthy moments, and a narrative of stability. But the back end reveals a different story. Human rights groups document forced evictions of Sahrawi families to make way for resorts, while journalists face restricted access. The tech itself enables control: facial recognition at airports, surveillance drones over camps, and algorithms that track dissent. This is algorithmic colonialism rebranded as hospitality.
From a quantum perspective, the territory exists in a state of superposition: simultaneously Moroccan and Sahrawi, tourist haven and occupied land. The tourism campaign aims to collapse that wave into a single state of certainty, but the observer effect matters. Every selfie taken in the desert, every hotel booking, is a data point that Moroccan authorities use to reinforce their narrative. Yet the underlying tensions remain entangled, unresolved by luxury spa treatments or camel rides.
Digital sovereignty is at stake here. Western Sahara is a test case for how governments use technology to engineer consent. Morocco’s tourism board uses targeted ads, influencer partnerships, and AI-generated content to shape perceptions. Meanwhile, the Polisario Front fights back with its own digital campaign, but its reach is limited by a lack of infrastructure. The result is an asymmetrical war of narratives where the side with better UX wins, regardless of ground truth.
As a Silicon Valley expat, I worry about the Black Mirror consequences. We’ve seen how platforms like Airbnb can accelerate gentrification and displacement. In Western Sahara, the same dynamic plays out on a geopolitical scale. Tourists become unwitting pawns in a control system, their travels generating revenue and legitimacy for an occupier. The industry’s mantra of ‘travel breaks down barriers’ feels hollow when the barriers are simply rebuilt with better materials.
Morocco insists its intentions are transparent, pointing to economic growth and cultural exchange. But transparency without context is just a screensaver for opacity. The territory’s status remains unresolved under international law, and the UN continues to push for a self-determination referendum that Morocco has stalled for decades. The tourism surge feels less like a bridge and more like a firewall.
In the end, this is about user experience design for a contested space. Morocco designs for frictionlessness, but friction is often where truth lives. For travellers, the choice is not just where to go but whether to engage with a system that exploits their leisure for political ends. The Sahara’s vastness cannot hide the smallness of this game. Until the Sahrawi people have sovereignty over their data and their land, tourism remains a glitch in a broken system.
