As Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal, the country’s tourism industry is entering a period of major opportunity.

The tournament is expected to bring international attention to Morocco and could encourage more visitors to discover the country beyond the stadiums and host cities. For a destination already experiencing strong tourism growth, the World Cup could become another important step in Morocco’s efforts to attract visitors from around the world.

Morocco welcomed a record 19.8 million tourists in 2025, an increase of 14% compared with the previous year. The country is now targeting 26 million visitors by 2030, the same year it will co-host the World Cup. Tourism contributes around 7% of Morocco’s GDP and remains an important source of employment and foreign currency.

Preparing for a new generation of travelers

The preparations for 2030 are already affecting Morocco’s tourism infrastructure.

The country plans to add around 60,000 hotel beds before the World Cup, while more than 190 billion dirhams is being invested in infrastructure including roads, railways, airports, stadiums and urban development.

Airport capacity is also being expanded. Morocco plans to increase passenger capacity at its airports to around 80 million by 2030, with upgrades planned at important tourist gateways including Marrakech, Agadir, Tangier and Fez.

These developments could make it easier for international visitors not only to arrive in Morocco, but also to travel around the country.

For the tourism industry, that distinction is important.

A visitor who comes to Morocco for a football match may stay for several additional days, particularly if travelling from a country where Morocco is a relatively easy destination to reach. That creates opportunities for destinations and tourism businesses located far from the stadiums.

Marrakech and the journey to the Sahara

Marrakech is likely to be one of the places that benefits from increased international interest. The city is already one of Morocco’s most popular tourism destinations, but it also serves as a natural starting point for travellers who want to continue south.

From Marrakech, visitors can cross the High Atlas Mountains and travel through some of the country's most dramatic landscapes before reaching the south and the Sahara Desert.

The journey to Merzouga is not simply a transfer from one destination to another. It takes travellers through mountain scenery, traditional villages, valleys and historic kasbahs before arriving at the dunes of Erg Chebbi.

For visitors with limited time, a private Marrakech to Merzouga tour can provide a way to experience several different sides of Morocco during one trip.

The experience can include travelling through the High Atlas, visiting the historic kasbahs around Ouarzazate and the Draa Valley, discovering local communities along the way and eventually reaching Merzouga for a camel ride, sunset in the dunes and a night in the Sahara.

This type of journey could become particularly attractive to international visitors who decide to extend their stay around the 2030 World Cup.

Beyond football tourism

The potential impact of the World Cup is therefore not limited to the cities where matches are played.

Tourists are increasingly looking for experiences that allow them to see more of a destination, and Morocco has the advantage of offering very different landscapes and cultures within a relatively compact country.

A traveller could spend time in Marrakech, visit the Atlas Mountains, explore southern Morocco and finish the trip in the Sahara. For international visitors coming to Morocco for the first time, the combination offers an opportunity to experience much more than the football event itself.

For local tourism businesses, this could mean adapting to visitors who want more flexible and personalized itineraries rather than simply traditional sightseeing packages.

Private tours may be particularly suitable for this type of traveller because itineraries can be adjusted around match schedules, arrival and departure times and the number of days visitors have available.

An opportunity for local tourism businesses

The expected growth also creates opportunities beyond large hotels and major infrastructure projects.

Drivers, local guides, riads, restaurants, activity providers and desert camps across Morocco could all benefit if visitors choose to travel beyond the main host cities.

For businesses operating in southern Morocco, increased international visibility could help introduce the region to travellers who may previously have known Morocco mainly through Marrakech, Casablanca or Fes.

The Marrakech to Merzouga route is one example of how tourism can connect the country's better-known destinations with smaller communities and businesses further south.

The World Cup will last only a few weeks, but its potential effect on tourism could last much longer.

Morocco's objective is not simply to accommodate football fans in 2030. The larger opportunity is to use the global attention surrounding the tournament to encourage people to discover the country, stay longer and return in the future.

With tourism already approaching 20 million annual visitors and the country working toward 26 million by 2030, the World Cup arrives at a time when Morocco is already experiencing significant growth.

For travellers, that could mean more options for exploring Morocco. For local tourism businesses, it could mean a new generation of international visitors discovering places such as the Atlas Mountains, southern Morocco and the Sahara for the first time.

And for someone arriving in Marrakech for the 2030 World Cup, the journey may not have to end when the final whistle blows. A few days on the road towards Merzouga could offer a completely different side of Morocco — one that begins far from the stadium and ends among the dunes of the Sahara.