Coincidence of the calendar?
Three weeks before the start of the All Saints holidays, and even as the state of health emergency has been extended until October 31, Morocco has lifted the last health restrictions on travel.
Since September 30, tourists can enter the territory without restriction, on the sole condition of providing a duly completed passenger health card (to be downloaded from the Office National Des Aéroports website or to be completed on arrival).
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Good news for tourism professionals who were still faced with the threat of last-minute cancellations, travelers having until now been required to produce a vaccination pass or, failing that, the negative results of a test less than 72 hours old.
"It's an extraordinary relief
, summarizes Mustapha Amalik, secretary general of the Hotel Industry Association (AIH) Marrakech-Safi,
this measure will have a very positive impact on reservations"
.
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Especially since the rating of the Cherifian kingdom is already at its highest level.
After filling up this summer – the country recorded 3.2 million arrivals for the months of June and July alone, almost the same level as in 2019, the reference year – Morocco has confirmed its power to attraction in September for individual travelers but also in the context of events: in Marrakech, there were more than fifty wedding parties in a single weekend!
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Airline ticket prices are rising slower than average
This enthusiasm seems to be confirmed for the All Saints holidays and the end of year celebrations.
“We are almost full as we have doubled our size with the opening of a new hotel”
, notes Alexandre Leymarie, CEO of the Beldi Country Club.
"There is a very strong need to travel and an effect of anticipation"
, indicates for her part Caroline Bauchet-Bouhlal, DGA of the Es Saadi Marrakech Resort whose reservation book is already full for the end of the year. including for the International Film Festival of Marrakech (FIFM) which finally returns to the poster of the Red City from November 11 to 19.
And some hoteliers
"are already booking reservations for the spring holidays",
adds Mustapha Amalik,
"It's very encouraging to see travelers project themselves on more distant dates"
.
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A trend that could be reinforced, Morocco being a refuge destination in a context of rising air ticket prices, even if the price increase remains a
"problem"
, according to the marketing director of a large hotel in Marrakech.
For Frédéric Pilloud, Group Marketing and E-commerce Director of MisterFly, the general increase in airfares may prove to be an opportunity for the destination.
With a 13% increase in air ticket prices, Morocco remains below the average at +28%, with peaks of +70% for long-haul destinations, noted by MisterFly at the end of September.
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“In the context of a tight holiday budget, one of the obvious trade-offs will be to go less far to pay less”
, emphasizes Frédéric Pilloud,
“Morocco will be one of the few accessible sun destinations”
.
In the last week of September, the destination is thus placed in the top 3 of the online distributor.
Inflation still measured
It remains to assess the impact of inflation on the spot, the soaring prices having not spared the kingdom despite measures aimed at limiting its impact such as support for road transport professionals or the maintenance of transport prices. 'electricity.
According to the latest economic report from the Department of Financial Studies and Forecasts (DEPF), the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 5.8% at the end of August, partly due to a surge in the prices of transport (+ 11.8%).
For the time being, the hotel/restaurant sector is containing prices (+1.9% increase at the end of August according to a note from the High Commission for Planning) and energy sobriety does not seem to be a subject, even if more and more of hoteliers aware of the preservation of the environment have invested in renewable energies, such as biomass boilers or solar panels.
Enough to heat the swimming pools as usual on All Saints' Day.
