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TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
Morocco has big tourism development plans ahead of 2030 World Cup
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024
Country aims to boost record tourism numbers even further through a range of development projects, including in the MICE sector.
The North African country of Morocco is looking to boost its already record levels of tourism even further as it gears up to be a FIFA World Cup co-host in 2030, along with Spain and Portugal.
Morocco attracted a record 14.5-million tourists last year, and has a target of 17.5-million visitors in 2026 and 26-million by the time the World Cup arrives.
“In the first half of 2024, 7.4-million tourists visited Morocco, marking a 14% increase on the same period in 2023,” the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper, The National, reports, quoting Imad Barrakad, Chief Executive of the Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development.
Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels
“It anticipates ending this year with 15.5-million to 16-million tourists, driven by marketing campaigns, higher airline connectivity, hotel openings and a focus on promoting Moroccan gastronomy, culture and villages.”
As it looks ahead to the soccer tournament, Morocco is seeking investors to help develop new infrastructure ranging from hotels to stadiums, conference facilities and theme parks.
Investment Charter launched last year
In 2023, the country launched its Investment Charter, which aims to make the country attractive to foreign and domestic investors by offering incentives, subsidies and grants to companies.
Incentives include government financial contributions for up to 30% of an eligible project’s total investment amount, exemptions from paying VAT on capital equipment or materials acquired locally for a period of 36 months, and custom duty exemptions on imported goods or equipment for 36 months.
“We are looking at more investments in luxury and mid-scale hotels, leisure parks and the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) infrastructure,” Barrakad told The National.
At a recent hospitality summit in Dubai, Morocco promoted opportunities such as a US$40-million investment plan to develop an amusement park in Casablanca, the largest city and economic hub, and a resort and theme park project in Marrakesh, a popular tourist centre and fourth-largest city.
As a key part of its tourism development strategy, the country is also investing heavily in its aviation sector. National airline, Royal Air Maroc, is planning to quadruple its fleet to 200 aircraft by 2037, while airport capacity is anticipated to double to more than 90-million passengers by 2035.
According to the International Air Transport Association, Morocco has the potential to play a key role in linking Africa to Europe and North America.
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