Moroccan Expats Face Soaring Costs as Tourist Prices Surge in Al Hoceima

The price of a "taco" has almost doubled, going from 40 dirhams to 70 dirhams in some establishments, and that of a salad for one person from 35 dirhams to 60 dirhams. Some popular dishes have also seen a dizzying increase, worries the local site Nadorcity. A couscous dish for one person has doubled from 40 dirhams to 80 dirhams in some downtown restaurants. The price of soft drinks has also increased. These prices far exceed those practiced in the cities and tourist areas of other regions of Morocco and even in the same region.

This surge in prices is worrying many social media activists and tourism enthusiasts. They fear that these "temporary" behaviors will damage the region and the tourism sector. They let it be known that the rise in prices of tourist services in Al Hoceima has already pushed many MREs and tourists to change their tourist destination.

Some of them call on the competent authorities to monitor the various establishments, hotels and other tourist facilities, first to ensure the health safety of the products offered and the meal preparation sites, then to control the excessive increase in the prices of tourist services and "reduce" this greed which remains far from the level of services offered and has no connection with the principle of freedom of prices.