“No one is supposed to ignore the law”, but communication does not seem to be the strong point of public authorities and Regional Tourism Centers (CRT) who failed to warn travel agents of the increase in visiting prices for foreign tourists in several cultural places.
If they only have themselves to blame, we can nevertheless blame the authorities who did not issue any reminders or send letters on the eve of the application of this increase.
Not being informed of the publication last May of this measure in the Official Bulletin and its entry into force on August 1, several agencies continued to bill their excursions at the old rate for their foreign clients.
According to our research, it does not appear on the sites of the Ministries of Culture and Tourism and even less on those of the CRTs which must nevertheless inform stakeholders of changes in the law.
Questioned by Médias24, several large travel agencies in Casablanca and Rabat affirm that they will have to suffer financial losses for packs paid for and scheduled after August 1.
“The increase from 10 to 70 DH is justified because the old rate was ridiculous and did not allow us to maintain the places visited. In addition, all over the world, foreign tourists pay more than nationals to visit cultural monuments.
“In itself, the increase is not huge (10 to 70 DH) but when you have, for example, 5 monuments to visit in Fez, at 35 euros instead of 5 euros per tourist, and the same thing in other cities like Marrakech, it starts to add up.
“With several groups of 20 to 30 people, do the math, that gives us around a big loss of 1,000 euros per group. The problem arises for all the groups with whom we have signed for cultural visits after August 1st but also for the months of September and October.
“Knowing that they have paid for their stay in advance and that our T.O. partners refuse to ask them to pay the difference, we will therefore be working at a loss before the next signings. And even these may pose a problem because the T.O. brochures for the current year have been printed and sent to foreign travel agencies with the old prices.
“We are not questioning this increase but rather the fact of not having been informed of the monitoring of its implementation or its terms, that is to say the places where it will be necessary to pay more. A law like this requires that it be applied one year after its publication and not just three months.
Chinese in the know and CRTs with absent subscribers
“Personally, it was my Chinese partner who told me the news thanks to one of his contacts at the ONMT office in Beijing. I had to check this information on the internet because all my efforts to have it confirmed orally were in vain.
“We tried to contact several CRTs in Morocco (Rabat, Casablanca, Oujda, Agadir, Marrakech, etc.) but none answered the phone. In the middle of the summer season, this gives you an idea of the responsiveness of public actors.
“What is terrible is that the Chinese are faster and better informed than us on subjects that directly concern us,” accuses our source for whom this story perfectly illustrates the lack of responsiveness of the supervisory authorities.
Despite the obvious responsibility of the travel agencies who should have followed this file, the CRTs supposed to facilitate their task did not really stand out knowing that the few we were able to contact do not even know the list of monuments whose visit prices have increased.
In any case, we must hope that the fruit of the increase in entry fees (details below) in the monuments (see list) will make it possible to maintain or renovate those which are falling into ruin.
Rates and monuments affected by the increase
The joint decree (ministries of Culture and Finance), which came into force on August 1, highlights three price scales whose amounts vary depending on the sites to be visited.
Let us first note that whatever the monument, the prices have not changed for adult nationals (10 DH) and for their children aged under 12 (5 DH). They do not pay on Fridays or the first days of religious holidays. People with disabilities (all nationalities) are exempt from ticket fees.
Prices have increased for foreign adults (70 DH) and for their children under 12 (30 DH) who want to visit tourist sites in the following cities:
Rabat (Marinid Necropolis of Chellah), Marrakech (Badi and Bahia Palaces), Meknes (Volubilis, Ksar Mansour, Walili, Souari), Asfi (Palace of the Sea), Kenitra (Mehdia Site), Essaouira (Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Museum), Tangier (Contemporary Art Center, Budikaris Palace).
The 2nd price is 60 DH for foreign adults and 25 DH for children under 12 years old wishing to discover the cultural monuments of Salé (Narimiya School, Bouamiya, Ambassadors’ Dome), Sidi Kacem (Bnassa), Tangier (Cave of Hercules and Ksar Sghir Site), Tétouan (Contemporary Art Center, Tamouda Site), Essaouira (Sqala, El Mina), Larache (Lixus Site), Chefchaouen (Kasbah Chaouen), El Jadida (Portuguese Cistern).
The latest rate of 50 DH for foreign adults and 20 DH for their children is applicable to the sites of Salé (Borj Sabra Bnet, Zaouia Missak, Borj Dmour), Safi (Portuguese Church), Kénitra (Tamousida), and Essaouira (Sqala Al Madina).
For travel agencies purchasing more than 500 tickets, a 30% discount is provided. Moroccan groups of students and pupils benefit from a price of 5 DH while groups of foreign students or pupils will pay 20 DH.
