Morocco’s Tourism Transport Sector Seeks Government Aid Amid COVID-19 Crisis

According to Mohamed Ba Mansour, president of the National Federation of Tourist Transport in Morocco (FNTT-Maroc), the decision to strengthen health measures was taken without any consultation with professionals, stressing that the FNTT-Maroc is waiting for the Monitoring Committee to obtain the postponement of loan installments until the end of 2021, while granting them a preferential interest rate. Furthermore, in order to regain their financial health, tourist transport companies are demanding a 3-year tax exemption, reports Al Bayane.

"We cannot ask companies to pay their financial commitments when tourist activity is almost at a standstill and everyone agrees that all indicators show that the recovery is not for tomorrow," reports the newspaper, citing one of its sources who specifies that here, 95% of companies are threatened, and with them, 13,000 jobs. The program contract signed in August last year, provides in its article 7 for a postponement of payment of maturities until December 31, 2020, hence, pleads the president of the FNTT-Maroc, the State is called to the rescue, so that they are granted a new moratorium on loan repayments, to exempt certain companies in difficulty from the legal actions brought against them by credit institutions, determined to recover their funds.

For the record, 40% of companies plan to resume after 36 months, 20% after 24 months, while 1% estimate a recovery after 3 months, reveals a study carried out during the beginning of the health crisis, covering 300 companies, concludes the same source.