Moroccan Tourism Faces Ramadan Lull, but Industry Remains Optimistic for Summer Rebound

When questioned about the recovery of business in the tourism sector, the president of the Casablanca-Settat Travel Agencies Association, Khalid Benazzouz, affirmed that "the recovery is there".

Despite the slowness observed in recent days, linked to the month of Ramadan, the recovery is felt "because we went through a more difficult period, an empty period, namely two years where we were practically at a complete standstill," he said.

Recalling the support measures taken by the government, the official noted that "beautiful prospects" are on the horizon, noting that "customers are so eager to travel and move on from the confinement periods. Tourists "are just looking for an excuse to travel, whether on weekends or weekdays," he added.

For his part, Mohamed Sawty, president of the regional association of the hotel industry of Casablanca-Settat, welcomed the multiple actions of the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) to relaunch the sector, in particular through agreements with the source markets, adding that the Office teams have "made a lot of efforts" so that Morocco can attract more tourists.

As for the holy month of Ramadan, the official conceded that this period remains a bit difficult for the sector. "It’s a slack period, unlike the month of March which was a very good month and where the city of Casablanca was able to achieve a significant occupancy rate compared to the same period in 2020 and 2021".