Marhaba 2026: Over 4.1 million trips handled without major congestion

Under the effective leadership of King Mohammed VI, the Marhaba 2026 operation has just wrapped up after more than three months in which 4,137,594 Moroccans living abroad were able to enter or leave Morocco under a closely managed system, without major congestion.

Marhaba 2026 operation: rising numbers, controlled flows

The 2026 edition of Marhaba ran from 10 June to 15 September. According to the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, 4.13 million passengers were assisted, an increase of around 1.8% compared to 2025.

Arrivals and departures were handled without significant bottlenecks, despite several peak days. Some days saw close to 80,000 arrivals and more than 87,000 departures.

For families living abroad, this means that peak weekends for outbound and return travel remain busy, but are now better anticipated. The reinforced system deployed in recent years is starting to deliver concrete results on the ground.

Reinforced support at ports, airports and border crossings

The Marhaba 2026 operation was based on close coordination between the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity and the different authorities involved, in Morocco and overseas.

During the departure phase, a specific mechanism was activated to ease traffic, especially in ports heavily used by Moroccans abroad. It included in particular:

• the introduction of fixed-date tickets to better organise ferry flows;
• dedicated regulation zones for cars and coaches;
• support for coach passengers transiting through the ports of Tanger Med and Algeciras;
• awareness campaigns on routes and peak travel times.

On the human and technical side, the Foundation mobilised a central coordination office, 1,134 social workers and 236 doctors, paramedics and temporary staff. The aim is not only smoother traffic but also social, medical and psychological support for travellers.

26 Marhaba welcome areas in Morocco and Europe

The system relied on 26 Marhaba welcome areas distributed between Morocco and Europe. In Morocco, it covered the ports of Tanger Ville, Tanger Med, Nador and Al Hoceima, the land border points of Bab Sebta and Bab Melilia, as well as several airports, including Casablanca, Oujda, Tanger Ibn Battouta, Nador El Aroui and Marrakech.

Abroad, six Marhaba spaces supported flows through the European ports of Genoa (Italy), Sète and Marseille (France), and Motril, Almeria and Algeciras (Spain). These hubs are key landmarks for families travelling by car or coach from Europe to Morocco.

What this means for your next trips home

For Moroccans living abroad, the outcome of the Marhaba 2026 operation confirms several useful trends for planning future summer journeys:

• very busy travel periods are still there, but better managed thanks to fixed-date tickets and traffic regulation;
• the ports of Tanger Med and Algeciras remain major gateways, especially for coach passengers and those travelling with their own vehicles;
• Marhaba welcome areas provide concrete support (information, social assistance, first aid) during the journey.

Before booking, it remains advisable to check the latest arrangements and schedules of airlines such as Royal Air Maroc and ferry operators on their official websites, in order to anticipate peak days and specific travel conditions.

The 2026 results show that Morocco is steadily strengthening its summer reception system. Moroccans abroad planning a long-term return or frequent trips can build on this organisation to better plan their movements, particularly in high season.

For more context, readers can follow Canal212 news for Moroccans abroad.

For official updates, readers can check the relevant official source.