Morocco’s ’Blue Pearl’ Chefchaouen Struggles as Tourism Plummets Amid Pandemic

The city of Chefchaouen has recently reopened its doors to tourists in order to revive its struggling economy, reports the Associated Press. A lively destination welcoming tourists and globe-trotting Instagrammers in search of historical monuments, an authentic Moroccan culture and the perfect selfie among the blue hues, the blue pearl is suffering from the absence of tourists. This absence is linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. Curfews have caused a drop in the turnover of restaurants, hotels and other businesses.

Among the nationalities visiting the city are Spaniards, Chinese and other Europeans, as they have the possibility to travel to Morocco without a visa for trips not exceeding 90 days. But the coronavirus has considerably reduced the number of tourists preferring this destination.

Data from the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasts also indicate that Morocco lost $1.2 billion in the first half of 2020 due to the decline in tourism. In a statement to Morocco World News four months after the start of the global pandemic, Moroccan tourism expert Zouhir Bouhout estimated that the kingdom could potentially lose 10.5 million tourists and 19.8 million overnight stays in 2020 due to Covid-19.