Morocco Suspends International Travel, Dealing Blow to Tourism Industry

While tourism professionals were hoping to regain financial health this December, when thousands of tourists were expected in Morocco, it is great desolation. The reason is the Moroccan decision to suspend flights and maritime links for 15 days starting Monday, November 29, 2021 at 11:59 pm. The National Confederation of Tourism (CNT) forecasts "a loss of 1 billion dirhams for the last week of December alone, when 100,000 foreign tourists were expected," reports Le Monde. "It’s over. There will be no recovery at the end of the year and probably not in the first few months of 2022 either," comments Zoubir Bouhoute, president of the Provincial Tourism Council in Ouarzazate.

The Moroccan decision has led to the closure of a large number of tourist establishments for the winter, after a year of bankruptcy with an occupancy rate for hotels ranging between 15 and 30% in November. Tourist transport is also severely affected by travel restrictions. "Our 1,670 companies, 95% of which are VSEs-SMEs, have been at a standstill since the start of the health crisis due to the new coronavirus. They no longer have the means to pay their expenses or their loans. The situation is catastrophic," warns Mounir Chami, of the National Federation of Tourist Transport.