Morocco’s Tourism Recovery Hindered by Strict COVID Entry Requirements

"The demand for the Moroccan destination is well manifested, but the problem lies in the rate of its conversion on the ground. With this requirement of the vaccination passport in addition to an anti-Covid test, we are only facilitating the task for competing destinations to Morocco," laments Hamid Bentahar, president of the CNT, to La Vie éco. Tourism professionals have long demanded the lifting of the double requirement PCR test+vaccination pass, but the government has not yet taken this step. If it maintains the decision for the next 12 months, the sector will come out a loser, as foreign tourists book their destination 6 months to 1 year in advance.

"All the work that should have been done well before the winter (to initiate the recovery of tourism activity, editor’s note) has not been done. We could have concluded contracts with tour operators in Southern and Eastern Europe if this restriction had been lifted," points out Quentin Bourru, General Manager of Radisson Blue Resort & Residences in Al Hoceima. The recovery rate is significantly lower than that recorded in 2019. A drop of up to 40% is noted. As for travel revenues, they stood at 9.7 billion dirhams in the 1st quarter, an increase of 79.6% compared to the same period in 2021, but a decrease of 43.6% compared to the 1st quarter of 2020, before the 1st lockdown.

Based on these findings, Rachid Dahmaz, president of the CRT of Agadir, calls for preparing the winter season. "Currently, we must prepare for the winter season which continues to attract tourists," he says. This remains conditional on the lifting of the obligation to have a PCR test, which is slowing down this tourism recovery.