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Rabat – Tourism professionals of Morocco’s southern region of Souss-Massa held a meeting on Thursday in Agadir to establish a recovery plan for tourism in the region.
Tourism professionals decided to act in collaboration with local authorities to help recover the tourist economy through a series of votes, according to the Regional Council of Tourism (CRT) in Agadir.
These actions include calling for the opening of aerial borders in total compliance with the preventive measures against COVID-19, attracting both national and international tourists, as well as reopening beaches. Agadir is the first seaside destination in Morocco. Over the years, the city has become a prized international destination for surfing. .
Tourism operators also called for the cancellation of PCR tests for tour operators and tourists,arguing that other international tourist destinations do not adopt this measure.
Agadir tourist professionals also called for creating a roadmap of health measures to follow in order to remove Morocco from the list of Covid-19 contagious countries. They said they are ready to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to produce such a roadmap.
In terms of logistics, the group suggested working in collaboration with Royal Air Maroc, Morocco’s National Office of Tourism (ONMT) to launch new routes linking Morocco with some of the main European destinations. Also on the group’s list of demands is the creation of medical cells at the Al-Massira airport of Agadir.
As for health, the council requested the creation of an independent medical structure for tourism to take care of potential COVID-19 infections, as well as an additional laboratory for COVID-19 screening tests in Agadir.
The group is also demanding to integrate restaurants and entertainment establishments in the recovery plan. In addition, they want authorities to lift restrictions on the closing times of these facilities, saying this would offer tourists an adequate experience.
The COVID-19 crisis left a big void in tourism in Agadir, in stark contrast with the remarkable tourism-related activities and financial returns the coastal city recorded last year.
Agadir’s CRT recorded 4,641,882 total overnight stays in tourist accommodations in the first 10 months of 2019.
Moroccans topped the list of travelers to the city, with 1,090,205 overnight stays, up from 953,271 by the end of October 2018.
