For the first time in the history of Moroccan tourism, New Year’s Eve will not mobilize crowds and partygoers, Moroccan or foreign, due on the one hand to travel restrictions and, on the other hand, to the limited opening hours of catering establishments.

December 31, 2020, a non-event

Solicited by Medias24, several major hoteliers and restaurateurs in the ocher city all speak of a non-event, which will constitute a significant shortfall compared to previous years.

According to them, despite a small increase in hotel reservations which can be explained by the increase in air frequencies, tourist destinations are still very far from the 2019 figures.

« Some hotels will offer improved dinners; but they will be required to respect the closing times imposed by the pandemic which are far from coinciding with the New Year’s celebration which starts at midnight », laments a palace owner in the ocher city. 

Thus in Marrakech, the national epicenter of this celebration, the closing of restaurants at 11 p.m. and the absence of the possibility of continuing the party in nightclubs still closed to the public since last March, are unlikely to encourage customers from all walks of life to stay there.

A rumor of a national curfew that doesn’t help anything

For his part, Fouzi Zemrani, vice-president of the National Tourism Confederation, thinks that the ban on dancing shows and the opening of restaurants beyond 11 p.m. will discourage foreign customers and nationals who were numerous from other cities in Morocco.

“In addition, if there is a lot of fake news circulating, it is not impossible that a curfew will be established throughout the country between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.,” says Zemrani resignedly.

Indeed, if an authorized source told us that to date no decision had yet been taken, this does not mean that restrictive decisions will not be announced between now and December 31.

Closing establishments at midnight maximum will prevent celebrating the New Year 2021

Just as pessimistic as the restaurateurs and hoteliers, who preferred to testify anonymously, the vice-president of the CNT is convinced that there will be no 12/31 festivities for the year 2020.

All our interlocutors confirm that the closing times of night establishments, the maximum of which nationally is midnight, will make it impossible to establish a party program.

Indeed, knowing that in Casablanca, catering establishments must close at 8:30 p.m., i.e. thirty minutes before the start of the nighttime curfew, and that in Rabat, the opening limit is at midnight, the New Year celebration which starts at midnight will not be able to take place.

Canceling New Year’s Eve festivities will make 2020 write off

“In fact, we continue with the same dynamic since last March, namely the absence of celebrating festive events with more than 30 people in the same space.

“With this absence of holidays until the end of the year, 2020 will therefore be written off with a very significant shortfall.

« That said, in reality, the celebration of New Year’s Eve on December 31 would not have changed anything, because it will not allow tourist operators to get back on track and above all to relieve their devastated cash flow.

Grit your teeth while waiting for collective immunity through global vaccination

“We have to get used to it and all that remains to hope is that the vaccination campaign can be put in place quickly to immunize everyone and finally get out of this nightmare.

“Indeed, when we see the bill paid by the United States after maintaining the Thanksgiving celebration with thousands of additional contaminations, it is better to be cautious.

“In the end, with the de facto cancellation of this event, the profession simply hopes that this is the last difficult milestone to overcome and that we must grit our teeth while waiting for better days.

“Knowing that European populations will begin to be vaccinated from December 27, we hope that Morocco will quickly receive its batches of vaccine to get in tune with international dynamics,” concludes Zemrani, who consoles himself by adding that there are not many Moroccans who will refuse to be vaccinated.

According to our information, the impossibility of celebrating the New Year from midnight will not fail to encourage the organization of clandestine parties, some of which are priced, which will certainly pose health problems of contamination, due to the lack of control by public authorities of social distancing standards…

source: medias24.com