onomy TOURISM IN MOROCCO: FRENCH TOUR OPERATORS REQUEST TESTS ON ARRIVAL TO SAVE THE WINTER SEASON
According to the president of the French tour operators union, René-Marc Chikli, the measures to relax the conditions of access for foreign nationals to Morocco, announced at the beginning of September, are not enough to bring tourists back to Morocco.
The measure was announced with fanfare a few days ago by the CGEM. Indeed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded favorably to a request from employers, relating to authorization of access to Morocco for foreign nationals with a hotel reservation.
Thus, from Sunday September 6, tourists can access Moroccan territory by simply presenting a hotel reservation.
For René-Marc Chikli, president of the Union of Tour-Operating Companies (SETO), this opening is « a breach » which will not be enough to bring travelers back to Morocco, reports the specialized magazine Tourmag.
“You must adopt the same measures as your competitors,” he added, addressing Adel El Fakir, general director of the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT), present at the general assembly of Travel Companies (EDV) in Paris, Tuesday September 15, 2020.
« The Dominican Republic is carrying out tests on arrival. We are going to set up lobbying work with the EDV to obtain tests at the airport, otherwise we will not have Morocco for All Saints’ Day [holidays which begin in France in mid-October and end, according to the school calendar, at the beginning of November, Editor’s note]. And if we do not have Morocco for All Saints’ Day, we will hardly be able to have it for the winter,” added the SETO president.
France is in fact the main source market for tourists to Morocco with more than 4.2 million arrivals in 2019, or 31% market share. Morocco is also the first destination for French travelers (outside Europe).
source: the 360
