Morocco’s Tourism Bookings Plummet 98% Amid COVID-19 Crisis

In a recent document, the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) has combed through the evolution of the situation in the world. This is a document that aims to "understand the coronavirus and take stock to measure its impact on the global economy and its implications for the tourism sector," says the ONMT, which points out that in the world, the tourism industry is virtually at a standstill (-90% in terms of booking).

According to aujourdhui.ma, it is based on Eurocontrol that the Office indicates that at the level of air capacity in February-March 2020, "Morocco recorded a decrease of -96%, France -88%, Spain -87%, Germany -86%, the United Kingdom -82%, and Turkey -81%. As for the observed purchasing behavior, a study conducted by the BCG firm in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, Canada, Italy and France, revealed that "travel is the first expense that households want to reduce while the budget allocated to home equipment (sports), food, medicine and hygiene, should increase considerably".

The World Tourism Organization, for its part, has indicated that travel restrictions due to covid-19 around the world will result in "a 20 to 30% drop in international tourist arrivals in 2020 compared to 2019". As for tourism revenues, the same source forecasts a decline of 300 to 450 billion dollars, "equivalent to nearly a third of the 1,500 billion dollars in revenue generated in 2019," it is specified.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), for its part, has taken stock of the losses and talks about "252 billion dollars this year in the air transport sector". According to the UNWTO, the post-crisis period must be prepared carefully. To do this, it recommends "diversifying markets, products and services, investing in market analysis systems and digital transformation, strengthening tourism governance at all levels, preparing for crises, improving resilience and ensuring that tourism is included in national emergency mechanisms and systems, investing in human capital and talent development, firmly embedding sustainable tourism among national priorities or moving towards the circular economy and embracing sustainable development goals".