Unprecedented tourism dynamism in the Souss‑Massa region

Official data show that the region welcomes more than one million visitors each year, who come to enjoy an integrated mix of beach and inland tourism. In terms of hotel performance in 2024, Agadir and its surrounding tourist zones—especially Bay Taghazout, Imini and Adar—recorded a total of 1.377 million tourist arrivals and roughly 5.9 million overnight stays, a figure that surpasses pre‑COVID‑19 levels. This upward trend is expected to continue in 2025, as the number of guests exceeded 1.5 million tourists, generating a total of 6.36 million hotel nights in classified establishments. In this context, Agadir is experiencing a sustained wave of investment in the tourism sector. The Mohammed VI Foundation for the Promotion of Social Works for Education and Training has recently announced a new four‑star hotel project to be completed in the Fonte area, with an investment of about 160 million dirhams. The project fits a strategic plan to boost the city’s accommodation capacity in line with growing tourist demand and increasing visitor flows, making hotel‑infrastructure development essential to maintain Agadir’s attractiveness and reinforce its position on the national tourism map. According to available data, the Foundation has already started implementing the project by launching an architectural competition to select the optimal engineering concept for the hotel, overseeing technical studies and monitoring the various completion stages after acquiring the land earmarked for the development. This hotel will be the Foundation’s second investment of this type in Agadir, following an earlier venture that enhanced the tourism offer with a modern accommodation unit meeting the quality and classification standards of four‑star hotels. The new project is expected to add real value to the tourism sector, both in terms of room numbers and service level, as its promoters aim to alleviate the current capacity shortage. This aligns with the positive tourism indicators observed in Agadir, where balancing hotel supply with demand remains a crucial factor for sustainable growth and for attracting further investment in the future. The coastline, led by the beaches of Agadir, Taghazout and Tamri, remains the main driver, heavily focused on activities such as surfing, sailing and other water sports, drawing large numbers of European and international tourists seeking sun and adventure. The Taghazout area stands out as a living example of a fishing village transformed into a world‑renowned surf destination, hosting more than 78 accredited surf schools and an economy built around the sport. In 2024, the British daily *The Telegraph* listed Agadir beach among the fifty most beautiful beaches in the world in its travel and tourism section, widely read by travel‑enthusiast audiences. The newspaper described Agadir beach as vibrant and bustling, offering visitors a wide range of water‑based activities—including surfing—calling the area an oasis of pleasure and beauty and an ideal place to relax. Agadir’s beaches, now a global tourist destination, have already achieved high rankings in several international site classifications. Last year, Taghazout beach placed seventh worldwide among the best beaches combining enjoyment and affordability. Previously, Agadir beach was ranked 37th among the world’s most beautiful beaches by the Canadian website *Flight Network* in 2018, and in 2017 *Forbes* placed Imsouane beach at the tenth spot among the 27 most beautiful beaches worldwide.