Morocco-Spain Summit Addresses Transit Challenges for Summer Travelers

The parties discussed improving coordination and infrastructure on both sides of the strait, security measures and the optimization of maritime transport services to ensure a safe and efficient experience for all passengers. The focus was on their experiences and best practices to ensure a smooth and efficient transit next summer.

The success of the Marhaba Operation dedicated to MREs depends on the cooperation between the port authorities and the various companies and shipping companies involved in maritime transport. The President of State Ports, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, stressed the importance of cooperation between the different actors involved in maritime transport to ensure the smooth running of this crucial operation.

Will there be a large number of Moroccans from the world this year?

Last year, the Marhaba Operation had been launched after a two-year interruption due to the health and diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain. However, the number of MREs arriving in Morocco was lower than expected, largely due to the health crisis related to Covid-19 and the increase in travel costs.

According to figures from the spokesman of the Moroccan government, Mustapha Baitas, from June 15 to August 29, 2022, 1,117,736 MREs and 270,754 vehicles had entered Morocco through the ports of Tanger Med, Tanger-Ville, Nador and Al Hoceima. This represented a decrease of 16% and 15% respectively compared to 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

For his part, the Head of Government had announced that 2.8 million MREs had participated in the Marhaba Operation. But this number was lower than the 3,242,970 MREs and 760,215 vehicles that had arrived in Morocco in 2019, according to data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.

Higher travel costs, particularly due to the surge in fuel prices for car travel, and the increase in plane ticket prices had discouraged some MREs from going to Morocco last summer. The decline in the influx of MREs to Morocco could also be explained by the increase in remittances from MREs to their country of origin.