Morocco plans to grow its hotel capacity by 60,000 beds roughly a fifth of its current stock by the time it co-hosts the 2030 World Cup, the country’s tourism minister has said.
The North African nation is capitalizing on the buzz from its quarter-final run at the last World Cup, having become the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals in Qatar four years earlier. Officials hope to turn that momentum into lasting gains for the tourism sector, which employs hundreds of thousands of Moroccans and makes up about 7% of GDP.
“We see the 2030 FIFA World Cup as an accelerator, not an end in itself,” Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor told Reuters.
The government is putting more than 190 billion dirhams (roughly $20 billion) into rail, road, airport, stadium and urban infrastructure projects ahead of the tournament, which Morocco will co-host alongside Portugal and Spain. How many matches each host country will get has yet to be finalized.
Rabat in the Spotlight
Morocco has already added 45,000 hotel beds over the last four years, pushing its total past 300,000. The country drew close to 20 million visitors last year — the highest of any African destination — and is targeting 26 million by 2030. Morocco’s central bank projects tourism revenue will hit a record 161 billion dirhams in 2027, up from 138 billion dirhams in 2025, with expanded European flight routes helping drive the growth.
Ammor said the next stage of growth will center on boosting arrivals from China, the U.S. and the Middle East through better air links. Morocco is also working to spread tourism beyond hotspots like Marrakech and Agadir, positioning the capital Rabat — with its historic monuments, museums and sports venues — as a destination for cultural events, sports events and business travel.
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