Morocco’s Tourism Recovery: One Year After Devastating Earthquake

A year after the Al Haouz earthquake, it’s time to take stock. What has been done to get life back to normal in the regions affected by this natural disaster? Beyond the rehabilitation of infrastructure, what concrete actions have been taken to relaunch tourism and crafts and boost the local economic growth? To these questions, Fatim-Zahra Ammor replies: "Our teams, accompanied by the local authorities, have carried out a detailed census followed by an on-site expertise to precisely assess the damage in the tourist accommodation establishments (EHT)," she confides.

In an interview with the newspaper Le Matin, the minister indicates that 767 EHT were counted, of which 515 required renovation work. In collaboration with the Moroccan Tourist Engineering Company (SMIT), an online platform has been set up to facilitate the processing of aid requests. "Today, the complete files have been processed and the payments by installments have been made," informs the official, specifying that the hotel establishments whose files are incomplete have until September 15, 2024 to get in order. After this deadline, all requests "will be completed at the local and central levels" and the "remaining installments will be paid."

The same census work was carried out for the craftsmen, which made it possible to count 3,427 damaged workshops. Here, "100% of the complete files have been processed," said the minister, adding that the aid has been paid in installments, depending on the progress of the rehabilitation work on the workshops. Ten infrastructures under the Handicrafts department, the training institutes in particular, have also been rebuilt. "We continue to process the incomplete files and appeals to ensure that all eligible craftsmen receive the necessary support to relaunch their activities," the official said.

Fatim-Zahra Ammor also reported on the actions taken in the social and solidarity economy sector. 90% of the 267 cooperative requests affected by the earthquake have already been processed, she rejoices, stressing that "the financial support has been structured in several installments to ensure effective monitoring and optimal use of the funds. We have already made the payment of the 3 installments for several cooperatives." The affected cooperatives will also benefit from a training program and awareness-raising actions. "Our goal is to renovate while strengthening the resilience of these structures that play a vital role in the socio-economic development of the regions and their local communities," declares Fatim-Zahra Ammor.

The minister ensures that she is overseeing the judicious use of the Special Fund dedicated to the earthquake. "Every dirham invested must have a maximum impact on the economic recovery and reconstruction of the affected areas," said the member of the government, who affirmed that all local stakeholders have been involved in the implementation of the actions. Fatim Zahra-Ammor did not fail to salute the crucial role played by the private sector and international financial institutions in the post-earthquake relaunch. All these actions aim to "ensure sustainable socio-economic development in the affected areas," she said. This involves, in particular, the creation of new activities and the strengthening of the tourist attractiveness of the region.