The American magazine Conde Nast Traveler certifies it
The city of Rabat is the best destination of 2024. This was certified by the American magazine “Conde Nast Traveler”. In its global guide to the best places to go in 2024, the magazine talks about Morocco.
Last year saw a surge in travel across Africa’s destinations, with air travel across the continent approaching pre-pandemic levels. Safari camps from South Africa to Kenya were at capacity, and travelers lingered in popular destinations like Cape Town and Zanzibar well past the peak season. What does this mean for the year ahead?
A new point of reference for cultural events is the capital of Morocco. Interesting music festivals, big-name architecture and luxury hotels. Rabat has all this and more, and 2024 brings a wave of new things.
The Moroccan capital is one of the country’s four imperial cities, but it has long been ignored by travelers attracted by the beauty of places like Marrakech, Fez and Tangier. That could change this year, as the city is in the midst of a cultural and artistic reinvention.
Even more exciting is the opening of the new Rabat Grand Theater nearby. One of legendary architect Zaha Hadid’s unfinished masterpieces, it will incorporate an 1,800-seat theater, an experimental performance space and a 7,000-person amphitheater, along with green spaces and a restaurant. It will be the largest venue of its kind in both Africa and the Arab world and will host symphony, ballet, opera and philharmonic performances (all of these are expected before the end of 2023).
Another highly anticipated cultural event is the return of the Mawazine festival in 2024, which will return this summer after a Covid-induced hiatus. The lineup is not yet known, but Africa’s largest festival has attracted A-list artists such as Rihanna and Mariah Carey in the past.
A flurry of high-profile hotel openings are expected in the city: the Fairmont, La Marina Rabat Salé and the recently opened Conrad Rabat Arzana both herald a new era of modern luxury in the historic city. Now the focus is on the opening of the Four Seasons Hotel Rabat in Kasr Al Bahr, expected in late 2023, as well as the planned Ritz-Carlton Rabat Dar Es Salam.
