Tangier Tourism Industry Struggles as Morocco-Spain Maritime Links Remain Suspended

Tourism professionals in Tangier are at the end of their rope, after two years of suspension of maritime links with Spain. Chebaa, a tour guide for 15 years, lost his job and Farida closed her hotel, in the first months of the health crisis. The Moroccan authorities announced that they would reopen the air borders closed since late November to limit the spread of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, without mentioning a possible resumption of maritime links with Spain.

To read: article 87789

"Before the pandemic, I worked every day, it was a fabulous period. Now, there’s nothing left," complains Chebaa, sitting on the terrace of a cafe in Tangier. And he adds: "The government is making efforts, but it’s not enough. The only solution is to open the maritime links and let us work." Since June 2020, the authorities have been granting a monthly aid of 2,000 dirhams (200 euros) to tourism professionals. Despite this aid, "50 guides out of the 150 working in Tangier, work in call centers to survive," he explains.

To read: Morocco Unveils Urgent Support Plan for Tourism Sector Recovery

Farida is the promoter of a small 10-room hotel located in Kasbah, the oldest district of the city. The establishment is desperately empty. "We had never closed before," she laments, specifying that, unlike her, some hotel owners had no choice but to close down. Farida remains optimistic nevertheless, hoping for a influx of tourists as soon as the borders reopen.

To read: article 87983

In 2019, 1.6 million people arrived in Tangier by boat from Spain, according to Jamil Ouazzani, marketing director of the port of Tangier. In 2020 and 2021, only three boats called at this port before the suspension of the links. This year, 77 cruise ships are expected, but for the moment, the port is still empty. "We hope that this year, the links will resume. We want to see the ferries circulating again," he concludes.

The diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain, opened since May by the entry of Brahim Ghali into a hospital in Logroño, with the Sahara issue in the background, does not facilitate the resumption of maritime links.