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Rabat – The National Federation of Tourism Transportation (FNTT) has unveiled its intention to adopt a hygiene certificate and other health measures to ensure the protection of customers after lockdown.
Citizens and operators in the tourism sector are awaiting the government’s upcoming decision on whether it will lift the lockdown or extend it a third time beyond June 10.
The FNTT asked for help from the Ministry of Health to develop sterilization criteria, a statement from the FNTT said today.
“The objective is to achieve a certification level, which tourism transportation companies must adopt to provide quality service that meets international standards.”
The sanitation and hygiene certificate will seek to protect customers in Morocco.
“This label …. will be an important argument for the sale and marketing of services, and this is what has been applied all over the world,” the FNTT argued.
Tourism is one of the pillars of Morocco’s economy, accounting for 11% of the country’s GDP.
Ceic Data statistics indicated Morocco’s tourism revenue reached $522 million in March of this year, representing a slight decrease from February ($537). However, Morocco made over $600 million in tourism revenue in March 2019.
It is safe to predict the tourism sector is one of the hardest hit sectors due to the lockdown.
Morocco is known as an all-season destination for foreign tourists. Domestic tourism is also popular in the country.
However, since the beginning of the nationwide lockdown Morocco imposed on March 20, tourism has all but ceased.
Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani’s recent statement about the COVID-19 situation cast doubts on the probability of a total lockdown lift.
On May 5, Morocco’s Minister of Tourism Nadia Fettah Alaoui said 87% of hotels in Morocco shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis.
She said Morocco’s state of emergency caused a 63% decline in hotel stays since March 20.
Out of 3,989 tourist accommodation establishments, 3,465 are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 520 establishments remain open.
“Everyone acknowledges that the two sectors of tourism and air transport will need a bigger support than other sectors, because the crisis is global, and we cannot advance the sector independently,” Alaoui said.
The National Confederation of Tourism (CNT) said in April that it is difficult for tourism operators to forecast the post-coronavirus economy “which is revolutionizing the way we do things and see our future, especially with regard to tourism.”
CNT estimated the pandemic’s impact on the sector at “MAD 33 billion (€3 billion) in losses, 500,000 jobs lost, and 8,500 companies threatened.”
The CNT also forecasts that the country will lose over MAD 138 billion ($13.85 billion) between 2020 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 crisis.
