Morocco’s Tourism Industry Faces Uncertain Recovery After COVID-19 Slump

Despite their rich tourist heritage, their great variety of flora and fauna as well as beach resorts, very popular with vacationers and tourists from all continents, Morocco and Tunisia have been hard hit by the Covid-19 health crisis.

In six months, the crisis has taken its toll on this sector, which contributes around 8% of GDP in Morocco and 14% in Tunisia, leaving the riads of Marrakech and the nightclubs of Hammamet, very popular with Algerians and Europeans, deserted, etc.

The challenge today is the survival of the sector. In Morocco, a recovery plan has been adopted, with a particular focus on domestic tourism, pending the reopening of borders.

Meanwhile, Spain and Germany have recently opened air borders with Tunisia, which has opened its borders since June 27.

According to Abdelhak Ben Laater, a tourism advisor in Tunisia, contacted by Hespress, "about ten million tourists visited the country in 2019... The reality today is that we have to expect a very difficult period". And he adds that the Covid-19 crisis "has resulted in an estimated loss of around 1.5 billion euros".