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Fez – Operators in the tourism sector in Marrakech organized a sit-in today, January 20, to protest their sector’s disastrous situation.
A January 13 statement from the consortium of tourism operators in the Marrakech-Safi region stated that the sit-in aims to decry the “government’s silence, evasions, and prosthetic solutions.”
With the government’s stringent public health measures against the new COVID-19 strain, Omicron, the tourism sector was again hit worst by the closure of borders. The statement noted that “70% of Marrakech’s population has been affected by the dramatic tourism situation.”
Marrakech-Asfi is a preferred destination for tourists, where locals describe the government’s measures as “a blurry vision and have paralyzed the tourism sector and its various related sectors,” according to the statement.
The consortium of tourism operators lamented the government’s “lack of strategy” to support the tourism sector, which they say has exacerbated the situation.
The protest also criticized the government’s “incompetence to accompany the tourism sector out of its deadlock.”
Morocco’s tourism sector is facing a possible collapse, added the statement, noting the suffering of its workers facing forced unemployment which in turn leads to negative physical and emotional consequences.
Read also: Morocco Unveils Emergency Plan of $216 Million to Support Tourism
“The extent of the investments in this industry that contributed to establishing job possibilities and achieving economic dynamism in the region,” tourism operators said, kept them facing “bankruptcy, the anvil of accumulated debts, and the prospect of losing their families.”
They flocked to the streets for a variety of reasons, including “the government’s indifference and intransigence in maintaining its maneuvering strategy and making false promises.”
Morocco’s COVID-19-response imposed harsh limitations which are causing concern among tourism sector executives. They claim that the measures may erode the country’s regional competitiveness as tourists rush to competing Mediterranean resorts.
According to figures from Morocco’s central bank, tourism accounted for 7% of the Moroccan economy in 2019, generating $8 billion. However, according to the bank, tourism is only expected to have generated $3.6 billion in 2021.
The sit-in took place just days after Morocco’s government authorized a MAD 2 billion ($216 million) emergency plan to help the tourism industry.
The emergency plan intends to protect Moroccan enterprises affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, support the sector’s recovery, and assist those who have lost their jobs as a result of the ongoing health crisis.
