Morocco is preparing to add roughly 60,000 hotel beds, about 20% of its current capacity, as it prepares its tourism infrastructure ahead of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, according to Reuters.
Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor said the kingdom sees the tournament less as a finish line than “an accelerator” for the development of the hospitality industry, framing the World Cup as a long-term growth driver for the sector.
The push comes as Morocco comes under international spotlights, following its impressive run to the quarterfinals at this year’s World Cup, four years after becoming the first African nation to reach the semifinals, in Qatar.
Officials are hoping to convert that visibility into durable gains for a sector that employs nearly a million citizens and accounts for roughly 7% of the country’s economic output.
Morocco has already added about 45,000 beds over the past four years, bringing its total capacity to just over 300,000, according to official figures.
The government is now targeting an additional 60,000 beds by the time the World Cup kicks off.
Developing tourism infrastructure is part of a broader $20 billion-plus infrastructure push covering rail, roads, airports, stadiums and urban infrastructure.
Morocco drew close to 20 million visitors last year, the highest of any African country, and is aiming for 26 million annual visitors by 2030.
Growing air links from Europe have helped fuel the recent surge, and officials now want to widen the net further, building stronger connections to China, the United States and the Middle East.
Morocco is also trying to spread tourism beyond its best-known draws, Marrakech and Agadir, positioning other cities, including the capital, Rabat, as a hub for cultural, sporting and business travel.
