Ecotourism in Morocco: Review of the Current Situation, Natural Potential, Cultural Diversity, Obstacles and Recommendations for Future Research

Abstract

This review attempts to highlight the past and current status of ecotourism in Morocco, investigate its committed as an essential sustainable product, and make recommendations to develop this sector. A deep electronic bibliographic search on Google Scholar, research engines, and databases including Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, and Hindawi between 1970 and 2023. To accomplishthis review, we used the following keywords: ‘ecotourism, geotourism, and sustainable tourism, all in relation to Morocco. Currently, the state has developed articulate projects and policies looking for the enlargement of this segment as a strong alternative pillar. Equally, ecotourism is a way to protect cultural and natural heritage. However, tourist destinations remain conquered by seaside products. While other sustainable practices remain hostile. The concentration of marketing and infrastructure in empirical-coastline cities attracts visitors to these destinations, while other regions are less visited despite their richness in natural and cultural potentials. On the other hand, we proposed to upsurge the awareness of populations toward their cultural and natural heritage as a good manner to protect them and increase their incomes, which is sufficient to develop sustainable tourism. Finally, more deep studies on the effects of ecotourism on the natural ecosystems and cultural values are urgently needed to clarify the potential of natural productscounting ecosystems, and their ecological services, of cultural heritage counting prehistoric monuments, mainly in isolated regions, and of infrastructure capabilities between distant places to encourage the equitable distribution of visitors in different regions.