Rabat – Tourism in Morocco has faced severe restrictions ever since the lockdown. With recent flight suspensions to and from the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands to contain the spread of COVID-19, tourism experts said that Marrakech and its region have suffered the most from the suspensions.
Marrakech, Essaouira, and El Haouz were counting on the return of tourists for an economic recovery in the region, but the tourism industry in Morocco still struggles to rebound as a result of constant suspension of international flights.
According to local reports, the Marrakech-Essaouira-El Haouz region lost approximately 11,700 tourist arrivals from the UK, Germany, and Netherlands from October 20 to 24.
The damage did not end here as hotels have also lost 5,850 visitors and 40,950 overnight stays.
The same source indicated that Morocco’s flight ban on the three European countries led to the cancellation of 78 flights that were scheduled to travel to Marrakech and Essaouira.
Tourism professionals have said that projections for the end of October are no better. For the week running from October 25 to 31 alone, the suspension of 105 flights delayed the arrival of 15,750 tourists.
Official figures predicted the pandemic could push Morocco into its worst recession since 1996. Despite the economy slightly recovering post-COVID, many sectors remain unable to resume their activities properly.
For instance, tourism revenues in Morocco sharply dropped by 17.6% to stand at MAD 20 billion ($2.2 billion) at the end of August 2021.
Even after the reopening of national borders in mid-June 2021, stagnation and constant uncertainty persist in the sector.
Despite Moroccan authorities adopting several measures to revive the sector, there seems to be no effective ways to immediately soften the impact of the pandemic.
In recent years, Morocco has heavily invested in efforts to attract tourists and foreign investors to the southern provinces as part of the 2020 Plan Azur vision.
Created in 2001 by the Moroccan government, the Plan Azur is an investment project that aims to boost tourism in Morocco through the development of six coastal resorts, five on the Atlantic coast and one on the Mediterranean coast.
In April, Morocco launched the tender for the Atlantic Port project to attract more tourists to the region with an estimated cost of MAD 12.4 billion ($1.37 billion) as part of the country’s New Development Plan.
Tourism represents 7% of Morocco’s GDP, and the country’s favorable weather and its proximity to the European continent have made it one of the most attractive and competitive destinations in Africa.
