With WC 2030 Morocco aims to consolidate its place as a tourist country
Morocco hopes WC 2030 can cement its place as a tourist country Morocco has put forth efforts to secure hosting of the next World Cup scheduled for 2030 and make this tournament both football-centric and touristic in nature, in order to achieve their objective of making Morocco an unmissable touristic destination.
Co-organized by Spain and Portugal, the 2030 World Cup will span two continents as fans travel by plane, rail and road routes from different cities surrounding the Mediterranean to attend matches that will take place.
Morocco welcomed 15.9 million tourists during the first 11 months of 2024 – “a historic record, already surpassing 2023’s annual total,” noted Le Figaro. Additionally to airport expansion efforts, efforts are also focused on expanding Morocco’s high-speed rail network so it reaches 43 cities by 2040 (887% population coverage).
According to media reports, Morocco sees this sporting event as an invaluable strategic opportunity, investing up to 500 million euros into renovating and expanding 45 stadiums and training sites across their territory.
Noting Morocco’s selection as host for the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, the daily noted that Morocco had strengthened its position “as a top travel and football destination”.
On Monday, Aziz Akhannouch, Morocco’s head of government, unveiled an “ambitious plan” intended to strengthen airport capacity as well as infrastructure generally throughout Morocco.
Regarding airports, their stated goal is to reach 80 million passenger reception capacity by 2030 against 38 million currently; in anticipation of hosting the World Cup.
This expansion plan involves several airports, with Rabat-Sale, Fez, Tangier and Marrakech airports all receiving upgrades; Agadir airport will undergo major renovation to increase passenger capacity by reaching 6.31 million per annum.
Casablanca’s Mohammed V airport will grow from its current capacity of 12 million passengers by adding a third terminal and strengthening infrastructure, according to Casablanca’s head of government.
Aziz Akhannouch highlighted how Morocco stands out today due to its modern infrastructure that supports economic development and international competitiveness, strengthening Morocco’s position among Africa’s infrastructure leaders (87.8% African Governance Index score).