Marrakech – News on the visa-free travel agreement between Morocco and Russia is merely a rumor, an official source confirmed to Morocco World News (MWN) today.
The confirmation came in response to recent misinterpreted reports by the Muscovite press, which had alleged that Morocco is among 11 African countries enjoying visa-free travel agreements with Russia.
“Russia currently has a visa-free regime with 11 African countries: Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia, South Africa, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Angola, Botswana, Malawi, the Seychelles, and Sao Tome and Principe,” said Tatyana Dovgalenko, Director of the African Partnership Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as quoted by the Publication of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (PNP) on November 21.
“We have visa-free rules for mutual trips of our citizens with these countries,” she stated during a Russian State Duma roundtable on tourism development. “Introducing visa-free travel with the majority of African countries could help develop tourism.”
Russian officials are working on tourism agreements and memoranda with several additional countries. “We are conducting further work with other countries and hope that this list will expand in the near term,” she added.
Direct flight connections with Russia place Morocco in an advantageous position among African destinations, Moscow’s media noted. The country maintains regular and charter flight services alongside Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Ethiopia, and Seychelles, the report said.
Dovgalenko acknowledged a geographical imbalance in Russian-African tourism cooperation. North African destinations like Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia lead in attracting Russian visitors. Egypt alone received 1.5 million Russian citizens in 2024, generating 15% of the local tourism industry revenue. Russia ranks second only to Germany in Egyptian tourist numbers.
Sub-Saharan African countries receive significantly fewer Russian tourists, creating what officials call a geographical misbalance that requires creative solutions.
Aviation expansion features prominently in Russia’s African strategy. From January 2026, direct flights from Casablanca to Moscow will increase to seven weekly services. Morocco’s national airline carrier, Royal Air Maroc, will also launch direct routes from Casablanca to St. Petersburg.
Egypt maintains the strongest aviation links with Russia, operating 113 weekly flights. Russian authorities are preparing to launch flights to Egyptian Mediterranean resorts, including Alexandria, pending technical arrangements.
However, expansion faces obstacles, including aircraft refueling difficulties and shortages of wide-body aircraft. Airlines currently deploy these aircraft on more profitable Far East and Southeast Asian routes.
Sanction-related hurdles are adding pressure to the aviation sector. In some African countries, ground-handling services are managed through foreign-controlled structures, which can create complications for overflight permissions, landing rights, and routine aircraft servicing.
Russian officials identified Egypt, Tanzania, and Ethiopia as countries most interested in promoting tourism to Russia. The cabinet is discussing the potential inclusion of these countries in electronic visa programs, ultimately boosting bilateral tourism flows.
The Russian government seeks balanced tourism development, attracting African visitors while expanding Russian travel to the continent. Officials noted growing African economic activity and middle-class expansion as factors that support increased tourism exchange.
