A set of bad signals affecting the sector

LHe is at the bottom of the tourism sector. In Marrakech, the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), he has taken another drastic step with the Kingdom’s decision to abandon hosting. From November 30 to December 3, Madrid will finally inherit this important event in the tourism industry. The decision to expel the operators of the department from them.

“Due to the evolution of the current global situation, the decision to abandon hosting UNWTO AG in Marrakesh due to its association with the Covit-19 epidemic”, Official statistics show that the epidemic in Morocco is completely under control and that there have been major improvements in terms of vaccination, leaving Morocco in a very vague position. ) Of oarzazate.

In fact, this decision cannot be justified if one relies solely on the health indicators of the state. In the wake of a complete vaccination campaign, all figures have improved significantly over the weeks, legalizing the easing of restrictions, among other things, raising the curfew order from 9pm to 11pm.

What Bouhout confirms, for whom, in fact, “The epidemiological situation has improved significantly in the last month, as the number of new cases increased from 2,412 cases on September 17 to 2,322 cases on a weekly basis, to 424 new cases on October 23, to an average of 316 cases on a weekly basis. As of October 23, 57.2% of the population had been fully vaccinated and 63.2% had already taken the first dose.. According to him, “These are all strong and positive points for Morocco, they should be capital and serve as arguments to welcome other events and more tourists.”.

Moroccan authorities do not explicitly hold this view; And by organizing international events, their willingness to avoid imported cases can only be read by their decision. The evolution of the epidemic in some countries should be alert, it is true that there is more to worry about. Faced with an unprecedented outbreak of the disease, Russia has recorded an average of 1,000 deaths daily in recent weeks.

The same is true in the United Kingdom, where the number of cases has exploded, and in Bulgaria, which enjoys the enrichment of its healthcare system. Germany is also facing a surge in lawsuits. Most commonly, the epidemic re-emerges in Europe, while more than 4 million people in China are trapped in the north of the country after a resurgence of pollution. “Related to Tourist Group Movements”.

Precautionary policy

Have the Moroccan authorities pushed the precautionary policy far by refusing to host the OMT GA? However, tourism operators did not hide their anger because Morocco, in the eyes of the world, had missed the opportunity to show the ability to manage the epidemic well and provide a safe environment for tourists to thrive. Instead, officials are amplifying the wrong signals for tourists and helping them keep their heads in the water in an already heavily damaged field. The sudden introduction of the vaccine pass, without application methods, goes in this direction.

“It is important to design advance notice and awareness activities with tourism operators. Vaccine pass can be an argument and not a facilitating element and additional drawback of the process”, he said. Emphasizes Bouhout. In addition, restrictions on flights and certain flights are increasing The country is also a bulwark against the resumption of tourism activities.

The last countries to join the list are: Russia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany. Nothing to the taste of the operators. For Zoubir Bouhout, “Air links with Russia, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have been cut off. The movement of passengers will cause corrosion ”. In which he continues, “The results were quick because at Marrakesh Airport, 42 cycles were canceled this week with the United Kingdom, Germany and Holland.”

Moreover, contemptuous measures had to be taken to authorize flights to repatriate Dutch and British citizens stranded in the Kingdom. These untimely actions reduce the confidence of the passengers and do not give them hope. After all, they are not arguing in favor of the Moroccan goal. “Tourists are worried that flights will be canceled at the last minute and without notice, as there is a risk of getting stuck once in Morocco. We fear that an atmosphere of distrust will be established on the part of potential tourists from other nations., Laments that.

This unfavorable environment makes tourism operators unable to invest, with very little planning for the medium term. In their view, day by day, even the calculations of grocers are reduced to piloting. Because, it took Morocco a while “Three very confusing and incomprehensible decisions that could have a negative impact on a sector that has been experiencing a severe crisis for more than 18 months”, Bouhout warns. In fact, this long-term lack of visibility is likely to have little hope by the end of the year and will affect the small improvements recorded in the summer, thanks to the reopening of national borders.

At the end of August, and according to the Department of Research and Financial Forecasting (DEPF), the flow of tourists increased by 16.2% to nearly 2.5 million, after 2.1 million at the end of August 2020 and after 9.3 million. At the end of August 2019, the decline in these arrivals was reduced from -77% at the end of August 2020 to -73.3% at the end of August 2021, compared to their pre-crisis level. During the June-August period, Morocco recorded 285% of foreign tourist arrivals, down from 165,000 a year ago, to 10.8% a year earlier, bringing the total to nearly 2 million.

“Compared to the same period in 2019, the decline in this attendance has been reduced to -60.2% after -97% a year ago.”, Refers to DEPF. In terms of revenue, it reached 12.9 billion DH in the July-August 2021 period, up from 4.8 billion a year earlier, and 24.1 billion in the same period in 2019. And by the end of the first eight months of 2021, these receipts were down. 17.6% a year, 20.3 billion dirhams, and 61.5% compared to the end of August 2019. Of these, tourism operators have to deal with inconsistencies and, in some cases, inconsistencies in health regulations. Leave in 2021. And the hope for a return to 2022 is particularly focused on domestic tourism.