The controversy has intensified as international airlines and booking platforms market destinations such as Dakhla as part of Morocco, despite the United Nations classifying Western Sahara as a “non-self-governing territory”.
Tourism to the Morocco-controlled region has grown rapidly in recent years. According to Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism, visitor numbers rose by more than 50 percent between 2019 and 2025, increasing from nearly 490,000 to more than 743,000 tourists.
The surge has been supported by expanding international flight connections. Airlines including Ryanair, Royal Air Maroc, Transavia France and Binter Canarias now operate direct flights to Dakhla and Laayoune from cities such as Madrid, Paris and the Canary Islands.
Travel websites and airlines often advertise the destinations as being in Morocco, a move campaigners say misrepresents the territory’s legal status under international law.
Erik Hagen of the advocacy group Western Sahara Resource Watch said companies describing Western Sahara as Moroccan risk “distorting international law and public understanding”.
Legal experts also warned companies could face legal challenges. Dr Andrea Maria Pelliconi, a human rights law specialist at the University of Southampton, said businesses should clearly distinguish Western Sahara from Morocco due to its disputed status.
Western Sahara was a Spanish colony until 1976. After Spain withdrew, Morocco claimed the territory, sparking conflict with the pro-independence Polisario Front.
A UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991 included plans for a referendum on self-determination, but the vote has never taken place. Morocco currently controls about 80 percent of the territory, while the Polisario Front administers a smaller eastern section.
The Polisario Front accuses Morocco of using tourism and investment projects to strengthen its claim over the territory. Sidi Breika, the group’s representative to the UK and Ireland, said such projects violate the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
The issue gained further international attention after the United States under former President Donald Trump recognised Morocco’s sovereignty claim over Western Sahara in 2020 as part of a diplomatic agreement tied to Morocco’s recognition of Israel.
Despite growing international support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal, the UN continues to call for a mutually agreed political solution under its supervision.