New York – According to the State Department, First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Morocco cost more than $600,000 in hotel and car rental fees.
New York – According to the State Department, First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Morocco cost more than $600,000 in hotel and car rental fees.
Mrs. Obama visited in the Kingdom as part of her “Let Girls Learn” tour to Liberia, Morocco, and Spain in an effort to raise awareness for girls’ education. She was accompanied by her daughters, Sasha and Malia, and her mother, Marian Robinson.
Last week, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the dress worn at her Marrakech arrival cost $1,750. Moreover, according to contracts signed by the State Department, rooms were reserved at three 5-star hotels for a 24-hour visit. $60,073 covered the cost of two rooms at the Royal Mansour. The Sofitel was also reserved for the Obamas’ stay, with bills amounting to $200,000, $31,968 and $28,039.
The Secret Service stayed at the Sofitel for whopping $133,493. Additional rooms were also reserved at the Hotel Pearl Marrakech, costing $24,934.
Transportation also proved to be costly. Limousine reservations for the First Lady cost $6,966 dollars while other car rental fees for the Secret Service amounted to $122,173.
In sum, the Obamas’ trip to Morocco cost $612,322. While this may seem costly, the “Let Girls Learn” initiative is arguably worth it — it will invest $100 million to be spent on 100,000 Moroccan students. According to Reuters, half of those students will be teenage girls.