SMIT brings together investors in preparation for the 2030 World Cup

The destination Morocco, very popular with visitors from around the world, is reinventing itself in view of the 2030 World Cup. In the areas of infrastructure, hotels and leisure, significant investments will have to be made in different regions of the Kingdom to welcome the millions of tourists expected during this sporting event.

In reality, no city in the Kingdom, including small towns and regions less served by mass tourism, will be excluded from the tourist and economic benefits of this event, as clarified by Fati m-Zahra Ammor, Minister of Tourism, of Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy.

During the opening ceremony of the Morocco Showcase Summit: Tourism, Hospitality, Invest, organized by SMIT on November 19 and 20, the minister underlined the government’s commitment to supporting tourism investment initiatives, particularly through of the Investment Charter, the Mohammed VI Fund and the SMIT initiatives.

This is a major axis of the new roadmap for the sector, said Ammor, highlighting innovative initiatives aimed at promoting harmonious and inclusive development.

This remarkable performance is based on strategic investments, in particular the 200 million dollars urgently mobilized after the Covid-19 crisis to preserve jobs and reopen hotels in optimal conditions, she continued, noting that Morocco has is showing resilience in maintaining these figures despite several challenges, such as the 2023 earthquake, through effective management and national unity.

The main challenge for the Executive is to support the implementation of high-impact tourism projects, while ensuring their adequacy with the specificities of each region, in order to offer a complete experience to visitors.

It is in this context that SMIT organized the Morocco Showcase, aiming to highlight the numerous investment opportunities that Morocco offers in the tourism sector. “By bringing together more than 300 investors from different countries, we seek to bring together visions to identify the products that Morocco will need by 2030 and integrate them into the country’s tourism strategy, while highlighting the incentives offered by tourism stakeholders to stimulate investment, particularly in cities which will not host matches during the World Cup,” explained Imad Barrakad, General Director of SMIT.

Mehdi Ksikes, associate manager of Al Foundoukia, also highlighted the attractiveness of Morocco, both for tourists and foreign investors, illustrated by the positive results in terms of arrivals in 2024, positioning the Kingdom on the path to target of 17.5 million tourists by 2026.

However, many challenges remain to achieve this objective. Tourism stakeholders will have to work together to enrich the tourist experience and guarantee the quality of the services offered, whether culture, gastronomy or other aspects, in order to retain visitors, as underlined Raul Gonzalez, general manager of Barcelo.

For his part, Esteban Lozada, general manager of Development for North-West, West and South Africa at Hilton, highlighted the tourism development of the Kingdom, in particular through the increase in the number of arrivals and the development of basic infrastructure.

He also mentioned Hilton’s intention to open at least 15 hotels in Morocco by 2030, spread across all regions, in order to increase its reception capacity and participate in the development momentum in preparation for the World Cup. This dynamic should continue with the entry of new players into the market, making it possible not only to diversify the tourist offer but also to guarantee a better experience for visitors.