over the last 20 years, few tourist destinations in the world have built a success as fast as Marrakesh. To such an extent that the ‘Moroccan destination’ is often indissociable from that of the ‘red city’; Marrakesh’s case is unique in the world. Behind this achievement, a will and political commitment to make tourism a development locomotive in the country. Thus, the tourism sector occupies an important place in the Moroccan economy, given the revenue it generates, the jobs it creates and its role in boosting other sectors. In this article, we demonstrate how tourism can be a development locomotive for a region such as Marrakesh and for its economy. In order to do so, we will first present the geographical and economic situation of the region. We will then set out the data and statistics making the city of Marrakesh the first tourist destination in Morocco. The last section of this article will discuss the impact of tourism on the city’s economic sectors.