Morocco’s Tourism Recovery Stalls as Europe Tightens Travel Restrictions

More than a dozen foreign airlines have resumed flights to Morocco, thanks to the easing of border restrictions in the kingdom. But the worsening of the health crisis, both in Morocco and abroad, has extinguished all hope among professionals, notes Medias 24. It is not the demand that is lacking, says Lahcen Zelmat, the president of the National Federation of the Hotel Industry in Morocco (FNIH).

However, he points out, this is hampered by the various restrictions imposed by European countries, such as in France, the obligation to have a travel pass to move around. Enough to cool any desire to travel among foreign tourists, the same site notes, adding that due to these restrictions, the occupancy rate of Moroccan hotels is only 1%, compared to 14% since January, until October 2020.

"Our usual partners (T.O...) are ready to send us many clients from all over Europe, but the current difficulty lies in how to transport them to our hotels," laments Lahcen Zelmat, adding: "To be honest, we are waiting for a miracle for an effective vaccine to be finally discovered to put an end to these difficulties".