Moroccan Beach Dreams Shattered: Families Flee Overpriced, Subpar Vacations for Foreign Shores

While he had saved to offer his wife Meryem and their three children a week of relaxation in Martil, Mohamed sees his dream turn into a nightmare. "1,200 dirhams per night for this!" exclaims his wife as she discovers the apartment they had booked on Facebook. An apartment that has a few flaws: peeling walls, questionable bedding, a kitchen equipped with a burner that only works half the time... "My children were afraid to sleep in these dirty beds," Meryem recounts.

Like this family, many Moroccan vacationers are facing similar problems. "Last year, a family from Casablanca paid 8,000 dirhams for a week in an apartment without hot water. When they wanted to complain, the owner told them to leave if they were not satisfied," said a consumer rights activist in Tetouan, who claims to receive dozens of similar complaints.

Ahmed, a retired teacher, is not about to forget his last visit to the beach in Fnideq with his grandchildren. "A muscular guy asked us for 50 dirhams to sit on the sand. The sand! Can you believe it," he recounted. But the retiree refuses to give in and explains that the beach is public. He then receives threats: "If you don’t want to pay, get out of here, old man," the man told him.

The high prices of apartments are pushing some to decide to spend their vacations abroad. Fatima, a mother from Rabat, is taking her family to spend two weeks in Malaga. "Do you know how much it costs me? 15,000 dirhams all inclusive. Last year, I paid 12,000 dirhams for a disastrous week in Tetouan. For 3,000 dirhams more, I have a clean apartment, a free access beach and my children can play peacefully."

Young people are starting to turn their backs on Moroccan destinations. "With my friends, we prefer to save all year to go to Turkey or Tunisia. At least we get our money’s worth," confides Sara, a 28-year-old computer scientist from Casablanca. "Last summer in Martil, we paid 300 dirhams per person for one night in an apartment where cockroaches kept us company," adds her friend Loubna.

Fortunately, the authorities are already taking certain measures, including the liberation of several beaches from their illegal occupants. "Since the beach has become free again, families are coming back," observes Khadija, who runs a small guest house in Oued Laou. "We don’t ask for the moon," she summarizes, back from her ruined vacation. "Just a clean accommodation at a fair price and a beach where our children can play freely."