The weekend of April 12 to 14 was particularly eventful at Marrakech airport, which saw hordes of tourists surge
Images relayed by social networks and the media show Marrakech international airport completely crowded. Tourists and residents had to wait up to three hours to complete the usual entry procedures.
It was hell! I was returning from Bordeaux last Friday, I waited two and a half hours in an endless line to be able to go through police control and leave the airport,” a resident in Morocco told TelQuel. Growth of 23% for 2024 According to an official from the National Airports Office (Onda), attendance at Marrakech airport increased by 22% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. “Today, we expect to end 2024 with 23% growth compared to 2023. All of this has put a strain on the airport infrastructure,” he said.
Morocco, and Marrakech in particular, seems to have recovered very quickly from the Covid-19 crisis and is now doing very well. Already in 2022, 11 million tourists had visited. the country, which represents 84% of the 2019 level. Well above the world average, which stood at 63%. If some attribute this record attendance to the weekends of Easter in Europe and Eid (the end of Ramadan) for Moroccans, this would not explain everything, believes TelQuel. Professionals attribute the success of Marrakech to “the excellent work done by the Moroccan National Tourism Office. (ONMT) during the last six months for the promotion of the Morocco destination”. “Victim of its success”, Marrakech will have to take up the challenge of upgrading its airport infrastructure to be able to absorb an annual growth in traffic of 13% over the period 2024-2030. A source from Onda affirms that the institution is working on an increase in the reception capacity of its airports and on a greater digitalization of services which would allow “to accelerate the processing of passengers”.
