At a time when Moroccans living abroad (MRE) return to their host countries, Moroccan families return to their cities of residence, to prepare for their children’s return to school, tourism professionals are taking stock of the summer season. Opinions differ. “Tourism in the region experienced a notable slowdown during the summer holidays this year, the effects of which we perceived as professionals with a decrease of at least 50% in overnight stays compared to the same period of the previous year,” said Soufiane Bechar, professional and president of the Regional Association of the Hotel Industry of Drâa-Tafilalet, in a statement to Hespress. According to him, the tourist record for the summer season is modest. He was keen to explain that this toll is due to several factors, including the deterioration in the purchasing power of families, who were used to visiting the region during the holidays, after the unprecedented rise in sheep prices for Eid al-Adha and the inflation in the prices of several basic consumer products in recent months. Read: Marrakech: tourism threatened by insecurity “Hoteliers in the region have taken these constraints into account and applied exceptional reductions of up to 50% in certain cases, to encourage middle-class families to reconnect with the tourist destinations of Assamar. However, these efforts did not yield the expected results. […] On the other hand, many members of the Moroccan community residing abroad, who boost the region’s tourism sector during this period, notably Saharan tourism enthusiasts, did not go to Morocco due to the coincidence of the summer holidays with the Paris Olympic Games,” he added. Read: Tourism: Morocco displays its ambitions The summer season still allowed professionals in the sector to prepare for the fall season. “This drop in the number of nights during these holidays was taken advantage of by professionals to carry out renovations in the construction and equipment of hotels in order to be ready for the peak in attendance experienced by the tourism sector in the region from mid-September,” said Bechar, stressing that professionals are counting on the engagement season in Imilchil, scheduled this year from September 19 to 21, as well as on the International Date Fair in Morocco in October, which attracts many tourists Moroccans in Erfoud and Errachidia. Read: Summer vacation: Moroccans are fleeing the high cost of the coasts Mustapha Amalik, secretary general of the Marrakech Hotel Industry Association, does not entirely share Bechar’s opinion. “Overnight stays and tourist accommodation in the city’s various hotels saw a significant improvement during this year’s summer holidays compared to previous years. Although the month of July saw a delay in the influx of tourists into tourist areas, including Marrakech, due to several reasons, including the delay in the return of members of the Moroccan community residing abroad due to the coincidence of the holidays with the French elections and the Paris Olympic Games, hotels made up for this delay by recording significant occupancy rates in the month of August,” he assured the same site. He will add: “despite the recent impact on the purchasing power of domestic tourists due to the rise in prices of basic products and the advance of salaries for the month of July, a significant part of which was absorbed by the Eid al-Adha festival, this has not had an impact major impact on the reservation rate in hotel establishments and accommodation houses. » Read: Morocco: bad luck for the hotel and restaurant industry “Certain perceptions according to which hotels, by charging high prices, have not encouraged Moroccans to engage in domestic tourism, are not logical,” said Amalik. He explains: “Indeed, it is not possible, practically, to spend a night in a five-star hotel in Marrakech or Agadir for around 500 dirhams, for example. » Just like Bechar, Amalik suggests that professionals in the sector are banking on the next season. “Hotel owners, particularly in Marrakech, are counting, after the end of the summer holidays, on the month of September, which sees the red city experience a peak in conference tourism, thanks to the hosting, during this month, of several international events and conferences which attract hundreds of participants and visitors,” he said, adding that “overnight stays in Marrakech continue, after this month, to follow an upward trend and reach their peak during the Christmas holidays at the end of the year civil. »
