Morocco’s Tourist Transport Industry Protests, Demands Government Aid Amid COVID Crisis

Forced to stop their activities for several months, professional tourist transporters no longer know where to turn. In Marrakech, they organized a sit-in this week to express their frustration with the government in the face of the deteriorating financial situation of their companies.

Present alongside his colleagues, Mohamed Bamansour, secretary general of the National Federation of Tourist Transporters (FNTT), confided that tourist transporters still do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are harassed every day by financing companies for the repayment of vehicle installments. "Worse, the transport sector is condemned today to pay the insurance and the stickers while they have been on strike for a year," he laments.

Professionals are calling for the state to save their businesses from bankruptcy in order to preserve jobs. They also wish for the implementation of a banking product that meets their expectations in this sector, which contributes 7% to GDP. Some companies have already declared bankruptcy after having hoped in vain for a resumption of activity.