HIBAPRESS – Chafiq Annouri
Despite the exaggeration, with bad intentions, by some Arabs regarding the protests taking place in a number of Moroccan cities, the activity of the tourism sector, which has remained normal, has not been affected.
The French newspaper "Le Figaro" confirmed that Morocco, which had received a record number of visitors during the summer, with an increase exceeding 15% compared to 2024, did not register any flight cancellations by hotels or tour operators.
The French newspaper added in its report that the demonstrations, whose events resulted in 3 deaths and 400 injuries since they started last Saturday, did not affect tourism.
The source continued in the same context that official French websites such as the Foreign Ministry portal have not published any updates to their warnings since September 16, and have not called for the cancellation of flights, and the Belgian, Italian, and Spanish authorities have also confirmed avoiding demonstration sites without suspending planned travel.
The French newspaper pointed out in the same report that airlines such as "Air France," Royal Air Maroc, "Transavia," and "Ryanair" did not cancel any flights, while the biggest concern remains related to strikes by air traffic controllers in France expected to take place between October 7 and 9, according to the source.
The report added that tour operators were not significantly affected by the demonstrations, as companies such as "TUI," "Kuoni," and "Club Med" are closely monitoring the situation, confirming that all their facilities are operating normally, and that visitors are enjoying their stays without restrictions, and that security measures have been reinforced preventatively to monitor developments in coordination with local authorities.
The report quoted testimonies from French tourists and other visitors, such as tourists in Marrakech and Agadir, who confirmed that the demonstrations did not affect their visit or their tourist activities, and that the atmosphere in hotels and tourist areas is perfectly normal.
The report pointed out that the demonstration sites are, in most cases, far from the main tourist areas, and that some visitors were only aware of the demonstrations from their relatives abroad, highlighting that a number of hotel owners and tour operators have explained that the situation is continuing normally so far, but they are cautiously monitoring events in the hope that they will remain peaceful.
