Airbnb Occupancy Rate in Essaouira, Morocco, Data & Trends 2026

Over the analysis period, Essaouira ran 54% average occupancy across roughly 195 booked nights a year, just one point above Morocco's 53% national average and broadly typical of the 6 Moroccan cities ListingOK tracks. Its average daily rate of 82 euros is moderate, reflecting an abundant, competitive supply, and it produces average monthly revenue of around 1,257 euros per listing.

The standout context is supply: with a very large active-listing base for a city of under 80,000 residents, Essaouira is a deep, crowded market where individual occupancy is held down by competition rather than weak demand. Revenue edged up 1% year on year, essentially flat, and the moderate 76% seasonality index confirms demand is spread across the year rather than spiking. Read together, the numbers describe a stable, value-oriented market where the challenge is standing out in a saturated field, and where a well-positioned, well-reviewed riad or beach unit can outperform the average despite the crowded supply.

Essaouira is a fortified port city on Morocco's Atlantic coast, and short-term rental demand is driven by its blend of laid-back coastal culture, heritage and wind. The draw is the UNESCO-listed medina with its ramparts and Portuguese-era Skala fortifications, the working fishing port, the long Atlantic beach and a global reputation as a kitesurfing and windsurfing hub thanks to the steady alizé trade winds. Its artistic, bohemian identity, reinforced by the renowned Gnaoua and World Music Festival each June, sets it apart from Morocco's larger imperial cities and pulls a younger, culturally curious and active traveller.

The guest mix leans toward European leisure visitors, especially French, alongside surfers, wellness travellers and weekenders from nearby Marrakech, which is a short drive inland. Much of the rentable stock sits in restored riads and dars inside the medina, plus apartments and villas near the beach. With a very large active-listing base relative to the city's size, supply is abundant and competition keen, which keeps the average daily rate moderate and makes differentiation and occupancy the levers for returns.

In Essaouira the medina is the heart of the short-term rental market. Inside the ramparts, restored riads and dars convert strongly on character and walkability, close to the souks, the Skala ramparts and the port, and command a premium for the authentic experience, though access is on foot through narrow lanes. The kasbah area within the medina is the most sought-after pocket for heritage stays.

Outside the walls, the beachfront and the area along the bay toward the Diabat side appeal to surfers, kitesurfers and families wanting direct beach access and more modern apartments or villas with parking. The newer districts and developments inland, such as those toward the Mogador resort zone, offer larger, quieter properties at lower rates for guests happy to be a short drive from the centre. Across all of them, demand favours either authentic medina character or genuine beach and windsports access, and operators should confirm the property's licensing status with the local authority.