Morocco Extends Flight Ban, Crushing Tourism Industry’s Holiday Hopes

The extension of the flight suspension is a blow for hoteliers, carriers, restaurateurs and craftsmen in Marrakech. For a sector hit by the health crisis related to the coronavirus, the cup is full. "Before the closure, we had 114 rooms booked in one of our hotels, i.e. 60% occupancy. But that was before," laments Amine Zghaoui, commercial and marketing director of the Magic Hotels & Resorts chain. Many hoteliers have had to give up on their ambitions. The decision of the Moroccan authorities has forced the Magic Hotels & Resorts chain, which has two hotels in the ochre city, to give up on the opening of 5 other units in Morocco in the short and medium term.

Those who were regaining good financial health after a long period of lean years are also affected by this decision. "We were starting to take on color, to recover a multi-segment clientele, with the resumption of film shoots, seminars and the airlines we accommodate, and there for the blow we find ourselves with a single market," laments Fabrice Castellorizios, General Manager of the Radisson Blu.

The players involved in tourist transport express the same feeling. "Most of us have broken our piggy banks to be able to pay the insurance and maintenance of the vehicles to start over," says Saad Chemzari, a tourist carrier. But the extension of the flight suspension undermines their activity.

"It’s an entire sector that depends on the Marrakech experience," notes Fabrice Castellorizios. Faced with the situation, the Moroccan federation of tourist carriers is calling on the competent authorities.