Rabat – Operation Marhaba 2026 has carried more than 2.1 million passengers through Andalusia during its first two months, as the annual summer travel period between Europe and Morocco continues at a strong pace.
A total of 2,169,080 passengers crossed the Strait of Gibraltar through the five Andalusian ports involved in the operation since its launch on June 15. The figure marks a 2.7% increase from the same period in 2025.
Vehicle traffic has followed a different trend. The ports recorded 408,673 vehicles on trips to Morocco and 136,686 on the return journey, for a total of 545,359 vehicles. That represents a 1.7% drop from last year.
Algeciras remains the busiest gateway for travelers heading across the Strait. The port recorded 3,258 ferry departures toward Morocco, 5.5% fewer than during the same period in 2025.
Those crossings carried 903,658 passengers and 251,473 vehicles to Morocco. Passenger traffic from Algeciras fell 7.6% year on year, while vehicle traffic declined by 5.7%.
The picture is now shifting as the return phase of Marhaba gets underway. Some 295,639 passengers have already traveled back through Algeciras, alongside 82,520 vehicles.
The outbound phase began on June 15, while the return phase started on August 16 and will run until September 15. The coming weeks are expected to bring the largest share of return traffic, as many travelers who spent the summer in Morocco head back to Europe.
Despite the mixed figures across individual ports, the overall operation remains on track for modest growth. Current forecasts point to an increase of about 3% in passenger traffic compared with the 2025 edition.
Last year, Operation Marhaba recorded 3,488,885 passengers and 857,784 vehicles across 10,536 ferry trips.
With the return phase now underway, the Strait is set to enter its busiest weeks of the summer, as thousands of families begin the journey back after their time in Morocco.
