Marrakech Shisha Cafe Owners Protest Crackdown, Cite Economic Impact

In a letter addressed to the wali of the region, the owners of shisha cafes, restaurants and nightclubs recalled the crucial role of these establishments in the socioeconomic life of the ochre city, contributing to strengthening its tax revenues and creating more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. The continuation of the campaigns targeting these establishments generates significant financial losses that could lead them to bankruptcy, add the authors of the letter.

These repeated campaigns aimed at combating shisha consumption in these establishments are detrimental to the local economy, observe the owners who call on the competent authorities to find viable solutions to this situation. This could involve, for example, the establishment of a legal and regulatory framework to govern the shisha activity in the city. These campaigns are detrimental to the owners of these establishments, most of whom derive the bulk of their revenue from this activity.

The signatories of the letter also urged the authorities to find the right balance between the economic interest of the city and the need to comply with regulations, reaffirming their full availability to cooperate with the authorities. They hope that the wali will give a favorable response to their request for an audience, a session during which they intend to present their concerns and formulate concrete and "consensual proposals that serve the general interest."