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Rabat – British low-cost airline easyJet is gearing up for the holiday season with the launch of new flights between Marrakech and four cities in France: Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Nice.
A press release from the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) said the flights will launch Saturday, December 19.
The flights aim to attract visitors from France to Marrakech for New Year’s celebrations as Morocco works to revive its tourism sector.
“The resumption of Easyjet flights to Morocco is a strong and reassuring signal about the recovery we are working on,” said ONMT Director-General Adel El Fakir in the press release.
He continued: “We are convinced that this offer for the coming weeks will attract a large number of travelers who will come to enjoy the end of year celebrations in Morocco.”
ONMT is working to connect Morocco with top tourist markets, El Fakir added.
EasyJet will operate a total of 29 flights between France and Marrakech between December 19, 2020, and January 3, 2021.
Flights between Marrakech and Paris Charles-de-Gaulle will operate five times per week for a total of 10 frequencies.
The airport in Nice, southern France, will operate four flights per week to Marrakech for a total of eight frequencies.
The Lyon airport will operate three flights per week to Marrakech for six flights in total while the Bordeaux airport will operate five flights in total.
“We are very happy to resume our flights to Morocco for the end of the year celebrations,” said Reginald Otten, deputy managing director of easyJet France.
ONMT and easyJet are also working to resume flights to Morocco from the UK and Switzerland in time for the winter tourism season.
Read also: Morocco Launches New Flights to Europe From Marrakech, Agadir, Dakhla
Marrakech was the first city in Morocco to welcome foreign tourists after seven months of lockdown. In October, 160 French tourists arrived at the Marrakech-Menara airport on a Royal Air Maroc flight to the delight of tourism professionals in the ochre city.
Marrakech is an internationally-celebrated travel destination, particularly for New Year’s festivities. Celebrities and star athletes often spend the holidays in the city, which arguably boasts the most developed tourist infrastructure in the country.
Travel magazines and platforms such as TripAdvisor frequently rank Morocco’s Marrakech as one of the top tourism destinations in the world.
Although COVID-19 cases are still on the rise in Morocco and the state of emergency is effective until at least January 10, the country has maintained the eased lockdown measures and travel restrictions it authorized in June and September, respectively. With tourism accounting for 11% of Morocco’s GDP, the sector’s revival is crucial to the country’s economic recovery.
The COVID-19 situation in Marrakech is not yet ideal for a full resumption of tourist activities, with the city confirming 204 new cases of COVID-19 and one death in the health ministry’s most recent daily update on December 10. However, tourism professionals in the city and the Marrakech-Menara airport are subject to strict health measures to preserve the safety of visitors.
