Morocco’s Tourism Sector Left in Limbo as Government Delays Reopening Plans

24 June 2020 – byBladi.net · 1 min read

After having suspended their activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism operators are ready to resume business. While they were waiting for a reopening of the borders to relaunch their activities and a promise from the government to support the sector, which has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, Moroccan professionals have simply been disappointed during the last meeting with the Head of Government.

No decision from the government. Instead of a Prime Minister ready to provide solutions, the participants in this June 19 meeting encountered a Head of the Executive, rather determined to listen to their grievances. Saâdeddine El Othmani even asked the operators to consider him as a member of their professional family, reports l’Économiste.

For Khalid Benazouz, president of the National Federation of Travel Agencies, the year 2021 will be a loss for the sector and all competitors have taken the lead by committing to border openings at the end of June or early July. "As a result, tour operators (TOs) and planes will program these destinations to the detriment of Morocco," he lamented.

According to him, professionals in Greece, Turkey or even Tunisia are set on the opening of their borders while Morocco is slow to decide.

According to the same media, the peculiarity of this crisis is precisely the air part and the closure of borders. For now, only the Minister of Transport has announced the reopening of borders, however with the resumption of domestic flights with well-defined health measures.

Category: Economy

Keywords:

Tourism Deconfinement in Morocco