Moroccans’ solidarity with foreigners brings about an important message of hope and unity, much needed globally.
Casablanca – The British ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Reilly, shared his experiences with Moroccan hospitality, describing how Moroccans have opened their homes to British nationals that found themselves stranded in Morocco amid border closures and flight suspensions.
“Just opened my LinkedIn page to find loads of messages from Moroccans offering their houses and accommodation to British nationals stuck in Morocco. It is that kind of generosity and warmth of spirit that makes Morocco such a remarkable country. I hope my countrymen come back soon,” the ambassador tweeted on March 21.
just opened my LinkedIn page to find loads of messages from #Moroccans offering their houses & accommodation to British nationals stuck in Morocco. It is that kind of generosity & warmth of spirit that makes #Morocco such a remarkable country. I hope my countrymen come back soon
— Thomas Reilly (@TSAReilly) March 21, 2020
After Morocco entered a state of emergency on Friday, March 20, those that did not manage to leave the country on one of the special repatriation flights last week are facing great uncertainty as hotels and other tourist accommodations are shutting down to combat the spread of COVID-19. When borders will be re-opened for tourists to catch a flight back home remains to be seen.
In such a tense situation, the hospitality of ordinary Moroccans is extraordinarily valuable and heart-warming since many are burdened with severe economic hardship.
The lockdown can prove deadly for small and medium businesses surviving day-by-day, especially those that rely on tourism, and Morocco is estimated to lose 100,000 tourists in March alone due to the global pandemic.
Such losses will be a hard hit in a country where 11% of GDP comes from tourism-related revenues.
Moroccans’ solidarity with foreigners brings about an important message of hope and unity, much needed globally.
Read also: US Embassy Thanks Moroccans for Hospitality During COVID-19 Crisis
