The government headed by Aziz Akhannouch has announced the improvement of connections in Morocco to facilitate communication with airports in particular. Although it is not the only aspect that will be worked on, it is one of the most worrying for the Executive, whose project aims to affect a total of 15 airports throughout the country.

1. What will be the improvements to rail connections?
2. Una visión turística del proyecto
3. Continuing the growth of 2023

What will be the improvements to rail connections?

The intention of the project christened "Railway Plan 2040" is to build 1,300 kilometres of high-speed lines and 3,800 additional kilometres of classic railway lines that will connect 43 cities, almost doubling the current 23. In this way, 87% of Morocco's population would be able to travel by train, a significant increase compared to the 51% that can do so at the moment.

In addition, the connection with seaports and airports is to be improved. To the six ports that are currently connected, six more are to be added, and as for airports, the number is to be increased to 15. To achieve this, a high-speed train will be introduced between Kenitra and Marrakech via Rabat and Casablanca, and the regional rail network will be completed both in Casablanca and in the capital of the Kingdom.

Mohamed Abdel Jalil, Minister of Transport and Logistics, explained last Tuesday the initiative to be launched. He also unveiled the "structured prospective study for extending the railway line" carried out by the National Railway Office. It also indicates that the ambitious project will not be easy and will require a large financial investment.
 

Una visión turística del proyecto

A touristic vision of the project

Although the main mission of this initiative is to improve services for Moroccan society, the tourism sector should not be neglected. This is one of the most important sources of income for the Alaouite kingdom, and one that is growing every year, having become one of the preferred destinations for a large number of European tourists.

Improving connections with the airports will bring many facilities for all visitors, as well as providing a higher quality offer, especially in comparison with the level of infrastructure of its regional neighbours. In this regard, Minister Abdel Jalil himself has announced the intention to improve complementary transport services that can be of particular use to the tourism sector.

Among those mentioned by the transport minister are shuttle buses, which will also connect airports, and taxis. Work is being carried out with community councils to this end, as the idea is to complete airport connections with those urban areas that will be more difficult for the rail network to reach.

Continuing the growth of 2023

At the beginning of last year, Morocco, aware of the growth in popularity that the country was experiencing in Europe, bet heavily on tourism, and that bet could not have turned out better. Up to October alone, tourism had grown by 39% compared to the figures for 2022. Not even the terrible earthquake that shook much of the country in September prevented the arrival of tourists throughout the country.

With the start of the "Land of Light" campaign, Rabat began investing heavily in tourism and has since sought to promote the arrival of tourists from all corners of the world. And it was clear to the government, as Morocco's Minister of Tourism, Fatima Zahra Ammor, said that Morocco was "on track to achieve a record year with the objective of attracting 14 million tourists" - not far off, as the Kingdom closed the year at 13.2 million, a record figure for the country.