Morocco and Panama signed a tourism cooperation agreement in Rabat on Thursday, May 21, formalizing a partnership that both governments said could pave the way for a direct air link between Casablanca and Panama City.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Fatima Zahra Ammor, Morocco’s Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, and the Social and Solidarity Economy, and Carlos Arturo Hoyos Boyd, Panama’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. The signing took place at the Ministry of Tourism’s headquarters in Rabat, on the sidelines of the first round of political consultations ever held between the two countries.
The agreement comes amid a noticeable warming of relations between Rabat and Panama City, which dates back to Panama’s decision on January 30, 2024 to endorse Morocco’s autonomy proposal for the Moroccan Sahara. That diplomatic shift has since opened the door to deeper cooperation across multiple sectors, with tourism positioned as one of the most immediate areas of mutual interest.
Under the terms of the memorandum, the two countries will work to expand tourist flows in both directions, exchange professional expertise, and share best practices across the sector. The agreement also sets out a framework for joint efforts on destination marketing, sustainable tourism development, and cross-border tourism investment. Officials on both sides highlighted the geographic logic behind the deal: Panama functions as a gateway to the Americas, while Morocco serves as a bridge between Europe and Africa.
Speaking after the signing, Ammor pointed to what she described as strong momentum in Morocco’s tourism sector. She noted that the kingdom inaugurated UN Tourism’s first thematic office in Africa last month, a Rabat-based hub focused on innovation and digital leadership that is expected to take on a continent-wide role. The minister also drew attention to the cultural and geographic parallels between the two countries, calling for the launch of a direct air route as a foundational step in building a credible tourism partnership.
Hoyos Boyd, for his part, praised Morocco’s tourism offering and shared figures from Panama’s own record year. The Central American country welcomed a record three million visitors in 2025, he said, and benefits from a strategic aviation position thanks to its national carrier, Copa Airlines, which handles roughly 20 million transit passengers annually. He confirmed that Panama is actively interested in establishing a direct flight between the two capitals — a connection he argued would meaningfully boost both tourism numbers and broader economic exchange.
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