Reuters) \u2013 Morocco plans to increase its hotel capacity by 60,000 beds, which constitutes about a fifth of the current total, ahead of the country’s role as a co-host for the 2030 World Cup, according to the Tourism Minister.<\/p>\n
The North African nation is capitalizing on the publicity generated by its quarter-final appearance in the last World Cup, having become the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago.<\/p>\n
Authorities aim to leverage this renewed attention to generate lasting advantages for the country\u2019s tourism sector, which employs hundreds of thousands of Moroccans and contributes around 7% of the GDP.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see the FIFA World Cup 2030 as an accelerator, not an end in itself,\u201d said Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor to Reuters.<\/p>\n
The government is investing over 190 billion dirhams (approximately $20 billion) in constructing and expanding railways, highways, airports, stadiums, and other urban infrastructure ahead of the 2030 tournament, where Morocco will be one of three main co-hosts alongside Portugal and Spain.<\/p>\n
The number of matches each host country will hold has yet to be decided.<\/p>\n
Morocco has already added 45,000 hotel beds in the last four years, raising the current total to just over 300,000, according to official data.<\/p>\n
The North African country welcomed nearly 20 million tourists last year, making it the most visited destination in Africa. The goal is to attract 26 million visitors by 2030.<\/p>\n
The central bank of Morocco expects tourism revenue to hit a record 161 billion dirhams by 2027, up from 138 billion dirhams in 2025.<\/p>\n
Increased air routes from Europe have also boosted the sector.<\/p>\n
The \u201cnext phase of growth\u201d will focus on increasing visitor numbers from China, the United States, and the Middle East through improved air connectivity, Ammor stated.<\/p>\n
The country is also looking to diversify tourism beyond traditional destinations like Marrakech and Agadir. This includes transforming the capital, Rabat\u2014with its century-old monuments, museums, and sports facilities\u2014into a hub for cultural, sporting, and business travel events, according to Ammor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to make investments that create lasting value for Moroccan tourism,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Reuters) \u2013 Morocco plans to increase its hotel capacity by 60,000 beds, which constitutes about a fifth of the current total, ahead of the country’s role as a co-host for the 2030 World Cup, according to the Tourism Minister. The North African nation is capitalizing on the publicity generated by its quarter-final appearance in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[111],"tags":[636,115,2987,56,122,2988,1124,114],"tmauthors":[112],"class_list":["post-14713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-aims","tag-cup","tag-event","tag-landscape","tag-morocco","tag-redefine","tag-tourism","tag-world"],"yoast_head":"\n