Moroccan Diaspora Faces Steep Travel Costs for Summer Return Home

A major obstacle is preventing many Moroccans residing abroad (MRE) from returning to the country this summer. This is the soaring price of tickets: 6,000 dirhams per person by plane, and 4,000 dirhams for the boat trip. Concerned about the situation, opposition MPs, during the weekly question session at the House of Representatives, asked the Minister of Transport and Logistics to put in place exceptional support for the Moroccan diaspora (over 5 million MREs). In a statement to the Al Omk website, Mohamed Lahmouch, a member of the Haraki group in the House of Representatives, insisted on the need for the Moroccan state to contribute to reducing travel costs to alleviate the burden on the community. The latter contributes significantly to the development of the Moroccan economy through the provision of foreign currency and investments, especially in a context of continuous increase in remittances from the community, which have reached record levels in recent years. In 2023, MRE remittances exceeded 100 billion dirhams.

Reacting to the presentation of the community’s passage insurance plan for this year before Parliament by Mohamed Abdeljalil, El Ayachi Al Ferfar, a member of the Istiqlal group in the House of Representatives, stressed the importance of improving the conditions for the return of the Moroccan community to their country, as a means of strengthening their link with the Kingdom. "The Marhaba operation starts each year from June 5 to September 15 to welcome Moroccans residing abroad, and it is planned this year that about 2.5 million Moroccans will enter the country, after ensuring 29 ferries and 11 maritime lines. All the measures taken aim to guarantee a dignified welcome for Moroccans," he recalled. Mohamed Simo, a member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), calls on the government to prepare the conditions for welcoming MREs and find solutions to the problems and constraints they face.

In response to the concerns of the deputies, Mohamed Abdeljalil affirmed that his department pays particular attention to the Marhaba operation, by working to provide the necessary conditions for its success, thanks to a set of measures aimed at ensuring the maritime fleet, defining the travel program, strengthening the capacity of the offer and diversifying the crossing points. As for the rise in ticket prices, the minister explained that it is linked to the significant increase in transport prices worldwide. Transport prices worldwide have seen a significant increase compared to 2019 due to global inflation, he said. He highlighted the actions taken by his ministry. These include the liberalization of maritime transport services, the opening of the sector to the operation of these services, and the submission of ticket prices to the principles of supply and demand, as well as the awareness of national and foreign shipping companies for a reduction in prices. Mohamed Abdeljalil also rejected the plea of the deputies asking to support the prices of plane tickets to facilitate the return of the MREs.