Morocco Reopens Tourism, Limits Entry to Domestic Travelers and Expatriates

During the meeting held on Friday, July 10 at the headquarters of the Wilaya of Rabat with operators in the sector, the Minister of the Interior stated that the revival of Moroccan tourism through the international market would be conditional on the successful reception of domestic tourists and the return of Moroccans residing abroad (MREs).

"For us, this is only a first test to examine our ability to manage this beginning of recovery without health risk, a transitional phase, before allowing the revival of international tourism subject to compliance with barrier measures (50% of accommodation and catering capacities), distancing, wearing masks, as well as the health protocol and international standards," he said.

This approach by the minister could add to the crisis that has severely affected the sector. Especially since international tourism accounts for nearly 70% of the revenue of the Moroccan tourism economy. In 2019, 13 million tourists visited Morocco, bringing the tourism sector revenues to 78.6 billion DH against 73.04 billion DH the previous year, according to the Tourism Observatory.

This proves that international tourism is of paramount importance for Morocco. While it is true that the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet a thing of the past, the tourism sector could sink further. Moreover, professionals in the sector already deplore this decision.

"Competing tourist destinations have very early communicated on the reopening of their airspace and their hotels. This is the case of Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey and even Greece. By thus giving visibility to tour operators and airlines, these destinations have managed to fill their order books," notes a hotelier quoted by Challenge.