Morocco to spend billions on airports ahead of World Cup
The Moroccan government announced on Thursday that an agreement has been signed with the national airports authority, ONDA, to facilitate this extensive project. Under the deal, 25 billion dirhams will be allocated for airport expansion, with 13 billion dirhams designated for maintenance and land acquisition.
The government plans to expand its airport capacity to 80 million passengers by 2030 from 38 million currently.
In May, Morocco issued two expressions of interest to identify bidders for its plan to build a new terminal that will increase capacity at its largest airport in Casablanca by 20 million passengers.
Morocco reported a record 17.4 million visitors last year, up 20% from 2023, and it expects to attract 26 million tourists in 2030. (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi)
British tourists are increasingly choosing north Africa as a holiday destination, with travel firms reporting a shift away from traditional European hotspots.
The rise in popularity is due to the availability of high-quality hotels in countries such as Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, which are significantly cheaper than similar options in Spain, France, and Italy, experts say.
Aviation analysts Cirium have reported a significant increase in flights from UK airports to north Africa, with 19,847 flights projected for this year.
Tui has increased its flights from the UK to north Africa this summer to meet growing demand, with new routes from Stansted to Enfidha in Tunisia and from Newcastle to Agadir, Morocco.
Online accommodation marketplace Booking.com said it recorded a 68 per cent increase in the number of searches for summer breaks in Tunisia during the first five months of this year, compared with the same period in 2024.
Egypt and Morocco saw rises of 64 per cent and 39 per cent respectively.
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