Morocco Tourist Sites Reopen One Month After Earthquake

11.10.2023 - 03:59 / skift.com / Atlas Mountains / North Africa / Dawit Habtemariam

Multiple historic sites in Marrakech were reopened to tourists on Sunday, a month after a devastating earthquake hit Morocco and took the lives of nearly 3,000 people. The reopened sites include Bahia Palace, Badi Palace, and the Saadian Tombs, reported Morocco World News.

Morocco is also hosting a large conference this week: The 2023 World Bank and IMF annual meeting. It is the highest-profile event Morocco has hosted so far, said Siham Fettouhi, Morocco Tourism Office Director for USA and Canada.

“We’ve been hosting more and more events every year, and the proof of that is that annual conference, we’re talking about more than 14,000 people coming into Marrakech this week,” said Fettouhi.

Some parts of the areas affected by the earthquake remained closed to the public. “There’s a few locations that are not open to the public now in Marrakech because of what happened in the mountains more than in Marrakech itself,” said Fettouhi.

That hasn’t stopped tourism to Morocco. “People are still coming. People do understand that it’s an earthquake. It’s not a virus or something else that people don’t understand,” she said.

Morocco’s has been having a strong tourism trajectory this year. Between January and August, Morocco welcomed 10.2 million travelers. The country may exceed its pre-pandemic level of 13 million this year, said Fettouhi.

The Moroccan government aims to attract 17.5 million tourists and $12 billion in revenue by 2026. Between 2023 and 2025, Morocco’s government will be investing $2.7 billion in tourism, which will include hotels, airports, training and roads, said Fetthoui.

A big portion of the investment is going toward training to serve different markets. The country has seen strong growth from markets like India, China, South Korea and the U.S.

Over the past few decades, Morocco has become a unique destination with a variety of offerings, from ancient ruins to cultural experiences to trekking in the Atlas Mountains, according to multiple tour operators.

“More recently, Morocco has become a destination of choice – it used to be more of an add-on,” said Michael Edwards, Managing Director, Explore Worldwide. In the past, travelers used to pair Morocco with trips to Spain or France and focus on mostly on culture tours.