Morocco wants tourists to visit Western Sahara. Some say it's tightening its control

Back successful March, an email landed successful my inbox from Irish hose Ryanair asking maine if I was acceptable for my "next Moroccan adventure".

Sprawling on a windswept peninsula wherever the Sahara meets the Atlantic, the metropolis of Dakhla surely looked attractive.

I would person to marque my mode to Madrid first, but from the Spanish superior instrumentality flights to Dakhla commencement from conscionable €30 ($35).

There are dozens of accommodation options too, from hostels to marque caller luxury getaways advertizing the country arsenic Morocco's hidden gem.

But, contempt what the adverts and websites say, immoderate tourer making the travel would beryllium landing successful 1 of the world's longest ongoing territorial disputes.

That is due to the fact that Dakhla is successful Western Sahara, an country which the United Nations classifies arsenic a "non-self-governing territory". By this it means that the section colonisation isn't capable to govern itself.

Instead, immoderate 80% of Western Sahara is occupied and administered by Morocco, its bluish neighbour. Morocco considers Western Sahara to beryllium portion of its sovereign territory, calling it its "southern provinces".

The UN has consistently pushed for a solution to the 50-year dispute, including a referendum, but the indigenous radical of the country person ne'er been capable to ballot for their ain future.

Rights groups and ineligible experts archer the BBC that selling and labelling Western Sahara arsenic portion of Morocco raises superior concerns from an planetary instrumentality perspective, and promotes the legitimisation of Morocco's occupation.

The Moroccan authorities has not responded to a petition for a comment.

Visitor numbers to Morocco-controlled Western Sahara person risen by much than 50% implicit the past 7 years, information from the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism shows. They jumped from 490,297 successful 2019 to 743,133 successful 2025.

The roar is being fuelled by expanding aerial links. Alongside Morocco's nationalist bearer Royal Air Maroc, airlines including Ryanair, Transavia France and Binter Canarias present run nonstop routes from Madrid, Paris and the Canary Islands respectively.

Tom Ruck, 29, is 1 UK tourer who precocious flew to Dakhla from Madrid with Ryanair.

"You've got rather a batch of resorts being built, nevertheless they were very, precise bare " helium says.

Ruck adds that determination were "a fewer different tourists knocking astir for a summertime household vacation benignant of thing", but that it "definitely felt similar it was successful its infancy".

He got a Moroccan stamp successful his passport, and says that Morocco's emblem flies crossed the city.

It comes arsenic the Moroccan authorities has invested heavy successful processing tourism successful Western Sahara successful caller years. This has attracted the airlines, with some Ryanair and Transavia France listing destinations wrong Western Sahara arsenic being portion of Morocco.

Transavia France tells the BBC the steadfast "operates flights to Dakhla successful accordance with the authorisations received from the authorities". Ryanair has not responded to a petition for comment.

However, Binter Canarias, the emblem bearer of Spain's autonomous Canary Islands bucks the trend, calling the country Western Sahara. It operates flights to Dakhla arsenic good arsenic the territory's biggest city, Laayoune.

Erik Hagen, of the run radical Western Sahara Resource Watch, says airlines referring to the territory arsenic Morocco is some concerning and misleading.

"When companies marketplace destinations determination arsenic Moroccan, they hazard contributing to a distortion of planetary instrumentality and nationalist understanding." He adds that this raises "serious questions astir firm work and owed diligence successful politically delicate and illegally occupied territories".

When you hunt for a spot to enactment successful Western Sahara connected 3 of the biggest planetary booking sites, Expedia, Booking.com and Trivago, they besides telephone the determination of the hotels arsenic being successful Morocco.

A spokesperson for Booking.com says: "If a peculiar portion tin beryllium categorized arsenic disputed oregon impacted by conflict, we adhd accusation to our level to assistance guarantee that travellers tin marque a well-informed choice."

It said this is done by "advising them to consult their government's authoritative question advisories arsenic portion of their decision-making process. Our attack is accordant globally."

Expedia declined to comment, and Trivago has been approached for a statement.

Dr Andrea Maria Pelliconi, an adept successful planetary quality rights instrumentality astatine the University of Southampton, says airlines and booking sites "should separate Western Sahara arsenic a territory with a antithetic presumption from Morocco".

She adds: "It's imaginable that companies that neglect to marque this favoritism volition look litigation not lone for violating planetary instrumentality and the Sahrawis' [the indigenous people's] close to self-determination, but besides for issues relating to user extortion and related accusation rights, and just contention rules nether EU law."

Pressure from run groups has led to immoderate change. Last year, Airbnb stopped referring to listings successful Western Sahara arsenic being successful Morocco.

Western Sahara was a Spanish colony from 1884 to 1976. When Spain pulled retired Morocco claimed the territory.

An equipped struggle soon broke retired betwixt Morocco and Sahrawis fighters who formed the Polisario Front, demanding an autarkic Western Sahara.

A ceasefire brokered by the UN successful 1991 included plans for a referendum connected self-determination, but the ballot has ne'er taken place. Today, the Polisario Front controls a constrictive eastbound portion of the country.

The Polisario Front's typical to the UK and Ireland, Sidi Breika, says tourism is being utilized to enforce a "fait accompli" to Morocco's claim. He adds that astir tourists visiting "are not good informed astir the full issue".

"All projects being carried retired successful the territory nether amerciable concern interruption the inalienable close of Saharawi radical to self-determination and independence, intelligibly recognized by the UN."

Breika adds that Polisario was watching Ryanair "closely" and considering ineligible action.

In October, the UN Security Council voted successful favour of prioritising Morocco's program to marque Western Sahara an autonomous portion arsenic the astir apt mode forward. It besides extended the beingness of the UN peacekeeping ngo successful Western Sahara for different 12 months.

The question was led by the US, who nether President Trump successful 2020, agreed to recognise Morocco's assertion implicit Western Sahara successful instrumentality for Morocco recognising Israel.

Despite these developments, the planetary ineligible presumption inactive stresses the request for a mutually-agreed governmental solution nether UN supervision. The Polisario Front has besides repeatedly rejected the autonomy proposal.

Breika remains defiant: "We anticipation Morocco understands that investing successful tourism oregon immoderate different economical projects does not regenerate the volition of Sahrawis radical and its inalienable close to determine its future."