Morocco recorded more than 4.3 million tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2026, a 7% rise year-on-year, as the country accelerates preparations to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Tourism revenue reached 21.4bn dirhams (around $2.3bn) by February 2026, a 22.2% increase year-on-year, with March alone recording an 18% surge in visitor arrivals.
Morocco welcomed almost 20 million visitors in 2025, earning approximately $14.8bn in tourism revenue, cementing its position as Africa’s leading tourist destination.
The country is counting on a $4bn investment drive to increase hotel capacity by a fifth before the World Cup, with a plan to add 25,000 rooms across around 700 projects. Imad Barrakad, head of the Moroccan tourism development agency SMIT, described the expansion as “one of the most significant ever undertaken in the kingdom, both in terms of its scale and its pace.”
International hotel brands will operate at least 15% of the new properties, with most funding coming from local investors.
Matches are scheduled across six venues in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Tangier, Agadir and Fez. The government has spent around 17bn dirhams (€1.6bn) on upgrading existing venues and constructing the Hassan II Grand Stadium.
Some $3.8bn has been allocated to double the capacity of major airports in Marrakech, Agadir, and Casablanca, with national airport capacity projected to reach 80 million passengers by 2030, supported by Royal Air Maroc’s plan to quadruple its fleet.
Morocco’s Minister of Tourism, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, has cautioned against the risks that come with rapid growth. “We’ve seen overtourism around the world, so we need to make sure we develop wisely. We need to make sure we don’t think only about the World Cup and the six cities,” she said.