Morocco’s Tourism Industry Faces Collapse, Entrepreneurs Demand Urgent Action

"The situation is serious," warns the collective, which believes that getting out of such a long and deep crisis in which the tourism sector is mired requires "serious and immediate measures". Indeed, explain the members of this collective, the actions envisaged will first have to help save what remains of the tourism production tool, then restore a minimum of social peace and finally accompany a relaunch of the activity itself.

A solution that would not take into account these three dimensions would not be the appropriate response to the distress call of the players in the tourism industry, which is now undergoing profound changes that are absolutely essential, warns the collective of the new generation of tourism entrepreneurs in Morocco.

And following its diagnosis, the collective, which is a think tank composed of hotel managers, travel agencies, tourist transport companies, tourism investors, car rental companies, etc., proposes recommendations in six key points.

To this end, it pleads with the authorities to extend the mechanism of the lump-sum allowance of 2,000 dirhams for at least three months after the lifting of the state of health emergency. This, to prevent bankruptcies from accelerating and layoffs from being imposed on promoters, explains the new collective.

To prevent the flight of expertise and the desert of experience in the sector, the professional association also proposes the extension for all employees in the sector, of loan and installment deferrals until the lifting of the state of health emergency to prevent these employees from switching to other activities.

The total lifting of restrictions on inter-regional travel, the gradual and step-by-step reopening of international traffic starting June 15, 2021, the vaccination of tourism sector employees are among the other crisis exit proposals made by this new collective, which is part of the accompaniment of the profound transformation that the global tourism industry is undergoing.

Finally, it calls on Morocco to align itself with the EU’s health pass mechanisms, in order to be able to integrate into the general programming of international airlines and tour operators.

This is a civic call and a call for distress due to the lack of sufficient and structured speeches from our national professional organizations, concluded the collective, calling for a review of the governance of the sector, a privileged moment for the collective to make its contribution available to the authorities and professional organizations for the good of the tourism flagship.