A RECENT REPORT BY Valoris
Securities, A Financial Analysis And Brokerage Firm In The Moroccan Stock
Market, Has Revealed That Hosting The 2030 FIFA World Cup Alongside Spain And Portugal
Could Inject $1.2 Billion Into Morocco’s Economy.
The Report Comes After FIFA Announced Last October That It
Had Accepted The Joint Bid From The Three Countries, As It Was The Only
Proposal Submitted To Host The World’s Biggest Football Event.
According To The Report,
If Morocco Hosts One-Third Of The Total 104 Matches, It Could Add Between $850
Million And $1.2 Billion To Its Economy, With Each Match Contributing An
Estimated $25 Million To $37.5 Million.
However, It Is Unclear
Whether The Report Refers Specifically To The Economic Impact In The Year When
The World Cup Will Take Place, Or If It Also Accounts For Potential Benefits In
The Years Following The Event.
In Preparation For
Hosting The 2025 Africa Cup Of Nations And
The 2030 World Cup, Morocco Plans To Upgrade Six Football Stadiums And Build A
New One With A Capacity Exceeding 100,000 Spectators, At A Total Cost Of Around
MAD 20.5 Billion ($2 Billion).
The Announcement Of The World
Cup Hosting Has Already Spurred Investment Projects In The Kingdom By Local And
Foreign Companies Seeking To Benefit From The Incentives Provided By The New Investment
Charter, Which Offers Up To 30% Of The Total Investment, Asharq Business Quoted
Zoubir Bouhout, An Expert In The Tourism Sector, As Saying.
The Moroccan Government
Has Pledged To Provide Financial Incentives To Investors In The Infrastructure,
Tourism, Industry, Health, And Water Sectors, Aiming To Increase The Private
Sector’s Share From One-Third Currently To Two-Thirds By 2035.
The Country’s Tourism
Sector Is Expected To Increase Its Accommodation Capacity By 40,000 Rooms,
Reaching A Total Of 330,000 Hotel Rooms By 2026, According To The Action Plan
Of The Société Marocaine d’Ingénierie Touristique (SMIT), The Government’s
Tourism Engineering Company, To Meet The Anticipated Demand.
Last Year, Morocco Welcomed A Record 14.5 Million
Tourists, A 33% Increase Compared To 2019, Generating Revenues Of 115 Billion Dirhams ($10.5 Billion),
Which Helped Support The Country’s Foreign Currency Reserves Alongside Exports
And Remittances From Moroccans Living Abroad.
Bouhout Emphasized To Asharq
Business That Hosting The World Cup “Will Have The Greatest Positive Impact On
The Tourism Sector In Particular,” Noting That The Previous Edition In 2022 Saw
Qatar Receive Around 1.4 Million Tourists From Various Countries. He Added, “World
Cup Tourists Tend To Stay Longer In The Host Country, Which Will Have A
Significant Impact On Hotel Occupancy Rates, Leading To More Job Opportunities
And Higher Foreign Currency Revenues.”
Morocco Has Adopted A
Roadmap For The Tourism Sector To Increase The Number Of Tourists To 17.5 Million
By 2026 And Surpass Revenues Of MAD 120 Billion ($11.9 Billion). The Country
Has Allocated A Total Of MAD 6.1 Billion ($605 Million) To Diversify Its
Tourism Offerings And Increase Air Connectivity, Aiming To Attract Tourists
From Countries Outside The European Union.