Morocco wants tourists to visit Western Sahara. Some say it's tightening its control

Morocco wants tourists to visit Western Sahara. Some say it's tightening its control2 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJacob EvansBBC World ServiceAFP via Getty ImagesRyanair and other European airlines now fly to Western Sahara, with some calling it Morocco Back in March, an email landed in my inbox from Irish airline Ryanair asking me if I was ready for my "next Moroccan adventure".Sprawling along a windswept peninsula where the Sahara meets the Atlantic, the city of Dakhla certainly looked attractive.I would have to make my way to Madrid first, but from the Spanish capital return flights to Dakhla start from just €30 ($35).There are dozens of accommodation options too, from hostels to brand new luxury getaways advertising the area as Morocco's hidden gem.But, despite what the adverts and websites say, any tourist making the trip would be landing in one of the world's longest ongoing territorial disputes.That is because Dakhla is in Western Sahara, an area which the United Nations classifies as a "non-self-governing territory". By this it means that the local population isn't able to govern itself.Instead, some 80% of Western Sahara is occupied and administered by Morocco, its northern neighbour. Morocco considers Western Sahara to be part of its sovereign territory, calling it its "southern provinces".The UN has consistently pushed for a solution to the 50-year dispute, including a referendum, but the indigenous people of the area have never been able to vote for their own future.Rights groups and legal experts tell the BBC that marketing and labelling Western Sahara as part of Morocco raises serious concerns from an international law perspective, and promotes the legitimisation of Morocco's occupation.The Moroccan government has not responded to a request for a comment.Visitor numbers to Morocco-controlled Western Sahara have risen by more than 50% over the past seven years, data from the Moroccan...