Spain Prioritizes Pre-Booked Travelers for Morocco Ferry Crossings

Moroccans in Europe who have purchased their tickets in advance will be the first to board at the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa, Pacheco said during the first meeting of the Provincial Steering Committee for the Marhaba Operation 2023, adding that other travelers "will have to have their tickets checked and take a different route". But, he specifies, "it is not necessary to buy long in advance", especially since sales outlets are installed along the road. The sub-delegate rather recommends that travelers buy the tickets "when they know approximately the time they will arrive at the port".

Already 8,000 tickets have been sold for the dates preceding the Feast of the Lamb (Eid Al-Adha), Pacheco said, stressing that this measure of pre-purchasing tickets will allow the organizing committee to take the appropriate arrangements to facilitate the transit of travelers. He also announced that the Los Barrios parking lot, which has remained inactive for the past seven years, will not be used for this Operation. Pacheco also stressed the levels of fluidity and security achieved in recent years, despite the constant increase in passengers and vehicles, which reached 3,340,000 in 2019.

Everything is being done to guarantee Moroccans living abroad a journey "under the best conditions" of safety and comfort, without disrupting the daily life and tranquility of the inhabitants of Campo Gibraltar, Pacheco stressed, recalling that influxes are expected between June 24 and 27, the eve of Eid Al-Adha, as well as on June 28 and 29. Significant flows will also be recorded between July 29 and August 1, and towards the end of August for the return phase. The Ministry of the Interior has deployed a total of 19,441 police officers throughout Spain for this Operation, an increase of 21.4% compared to 2022, recalls La Voz Digital.

The ports of Algeciras and Tarifa absorb 88.3% of the rotations, 73.2% of the passengers and 73.6% of the vehicles during the outward phase, the sub-delegate also points out. A total of 2,139,582 passengers and 514,259 vehicles transited through these two ports during the outward phase of the 2022 Marhaba Operation.