[Edaily Kang Gyeong-rok Travel Reporter] Morocco, which will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal, is embarking on a massive investment initiative to transform its national infrastructure. The country plans to increase hotel capacity by 20% from current levels and pour 190 billion dirhams (approximately 76.5 trillion won) into expanding infrastructure such as railways, roads, and airports.

According to Reuters and other sources on the 21st, the Moroccan government plans to secure an additional 60,000 hotel beds before the World Cup. The plan is to increase capacity—which has risen by 45,000 beds over the past four years to just over 300,000 beds—by approximately 20% in a short period.
This strategy aims to fully accommodate the surging demand for tourism by leveraging the World Cup as a catalyst. Last year, the number of tourists visiting Morocco reached 19.8 million, a 14% increase from the previous year and a record high, while tourism revenue also hit an all-time high of 138 billion dirhams. The Moroccan government has set a goal of attracting 26 million tourists annually by 2030, when the World Cup will be held.
To keep pace with the rise in tourist numbers, the transportation network is also undergoing a major expansion. Airport passenger handling capacity will more than double, from 34 million annually in 2024 to 80 million in 2030. To this end, 38 billion dirhams will be invested by 2030 to expand terminals at major airports such as Casablanca and Rabat. The state-owned railway operator ONCF has agreed to purchase 168 trains from South Korean, French, and Spanish companies for $2.9 billion to be deployed on high-speed and regional rail networks, and the high-speed rail line will be extended from Kenitra to Marrakech.
The government plans to secure the 190 billion dirhams needed for this massive infrastructure investment through a variety of channels, including the national budget, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and foreign direct investment (FDI). The plan is to attract global capital by emphasizing the country’s role as a “business and logistics hub” connecting Europe and Africa, leveraging its geographical proximity to co-host nations Spain and Portugal.
Measures have also been put in place to address the so-called “white elephant” risk—where infrastructure left vacant after a major sporting event drains the national treasury. Morocco plans to avoid building one-off stadiums solely for the World Cup and instead distribute tourism demand—currently concentrated in existing resort areas such as Marrakech and Agadir—to cultural and sports facilities in the capital, Rabat, so that these venues can be utilized as “sustainable tourism and business infrastructure” even after the tournament.
Moroccan Minister of Tourism Fatima Zahra Amour stated, “The World Cup is a key catalyst that will take the country’s infrastructure to the next level,” adding, “Through this investment, we will achieve structural growth in the tourism industry, which accounts for approximately 7% of the gross domestic product (GDP).”