Visitor numbers to Morocco-controlled Western Sahara have climbed more than 50% in seven years, rising from 490,297 in 2019 to 743,133 in 2025, according to Moroccan Ministry of Tourism data.
The surge is being driven by expanding air links, with Ryanair (LON: RYA), Transavia France and Binter Canarias launching direct routes from Madrid, Paris and the Canary Islands respectively.
Both Ryanair and Transavia France list destinations within Western Sahara as being part of Morocco, a classification that rights groups and legal experts say raises serious concerns under International law.
The United Nations classifies Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory, meaning its local population cannot govern itself. Morocco administers approximately 80% of the area, calling it its southern provinces.
Transavia France told reporters the firm operates flights to Dakhla in accordance with the authorisations received from the authorities. Ryanair did not respond to a request for comment.
Binter Canarias takes a different approach, labelling the area Western Sahara rather than Morocco. It operates flights to Dakhla and the territory’s largest city, Laayoune.
Erik Hagen of campaign group Western Sahara Resource Watch said the labelling practice was both concerning and misleading, warning that companies marketing destinations there as Moroccan risk contributing to a distortion of international law and public understanding.
Hagen added that this raises serious questions about corporate responsibility and due diligence in politically sensitive and illegally occupied territories, where the indigenous Sahrawi population has never voted on self-determination.
The major hotel booking platforms Expedia, Booking.com and Trivago also list Western Sahara properties under Morocco. A Booking.com spokesperson said the platform advises travellers in disputed regions to consult their government’s official travel advisories when making decisions.
Dr Andrea Maria Pelliconi, an international human rights law expert at the University of Southampton, said airlines and booking sites should distinguish Western Sahara as a territory with a different status from Morocco.
She warned it is possible that companies failing to make this distinction will face litigation not only for violating international law and the Sahrawis right to self-determination, but also for consumer protection and fair competition issues under EU law.
Pressure from campaign groups has achieved some results. Airbnb stopped referring to Western Sahara listings as being in Morocco last year, setting a precedent other platforms have not yet followed.
Western Sahara was a Spanish colony from 1884 to 1976. When Spain withdrew, Morocco claimed the territory and an armed conflict broke out with the Polisario Front, which represents the indigenous Sahrawi people and demands independence.
A UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991 included plans for a self-determination referendum, but the vote has never taken place. The Polisario Front today controls a narrow eastern strip of the territory.
Sidi Breika, the Polisario Front’s representative to the UK and Ireland, said Morocco was using tourism to impose a fait accompli to its territorial claim, and that most tourists visiting are not well informed about the whole issue.
Breika stated that all projects being carried out in the territory under illegal occupation violate the inalienable right of Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence, clearly recognised by the UN.
He added that the Polisario Front was watching Ryanair closely and considering legal action, while also warning Morocco that investing in tourism or any other economic projects does not replace the will of the Sahrawi people.
In October, the UN Security Council voted to prioritise Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the most likely path forward, extending the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara for another 12 months.
The motion was led by the United States, which under President Trump in 2020 agreed to recognise Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara in return for Morocco normalising relations with Israel.
Despite those developments, the international legal position continues to stress the need for a mutually agreed political solution under UN supervision, and the Polisario Front has repeatedly rejected the autonomy proposal.