Marrakech’s Jamaa el-Fna Square Restaurateurs Protest Operational Challenges

The problems encountered by merchants and professionals in Jamaa el-Fna Square were discussed. These include:

• The daily assembly and disassembly of restaurants, which are detrimental to the image of Moroccan tourism, the quality of the products offered and the cleanliness of the premises.
• The risk of collapse of the metal roofs due to inclement weather.
• The economic and social difficulties of professionals.
• The limitation of night opening hours, while the operating permit does not mention any such restriction.
• The threat of eviction of restaurateurs from the parking lots around the square.

The President of the Chamber of Commerce expressed his solidarity and understanding of the difficulties encountered. He stated that he was now aware of the nature of these problems and that this was an essential step in finding solutions in the future, promising to organize meetings with the municipal council and supervisory ministries, such as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in order to make the voice of the association members heard and to inquire about the vision of these institutions and the progress of previously announced projects.