Revitalizing Tourism, a Priority for Public Authorities (Interior Minister)

The public authorities have placed the revitalization of the sector of tourism at the head of their priorities and among the main aspects of the 2nd phase of the “plan to alleviate sanitary confinement” started on June 24 through a series of measures which will have a direct positive impact on tourism, Interior minister Abdelouafi Laftit said on Friday in Rabat.

Chairing a meeting with professionals from the tourism sector and representatives of hotel establishments on the resumption of tourist activity, Laftit specified that these include the resumption of internal tourist activity, the reopening of tourist establishments, the resumption of internal flights, the opening of beaches, the resumption of travel between relief zone 1 and the resumption of inter-city rail and road public transport.

These measures have been reinforced by the decision allowing Moroccan citizens as well as foreign residents in the Kingdom and their families to enter the national territory from July 14, 2020 at midnight by air and sea, he added, stressing that this will help promote national tourism during the summer period, as well as domestic tourism which has been one of the priorities of the Kingdom for several years.

To ensure the success of this transitional period, professionals in the sector, in coordination with health authorities, must comply with the recommendations of public authorities and international standards aimed at safeguarding the health and safety of customers and staff, Laftit insisted, adding that the success of this stage depends on compliance with the health protocol established for this purpose and based on a series of preventive measures such as limiting reception capacity to 50%, respect for social distancing, wearing masks and regular sterilization of hotel units and customers’ luggage upon arrival.

It is also necessary to continue to carry out laboratory tests for hotel staff before returning to work, he added, explaining that this is a measure that reinforces the conditions put in place by the public authorities for the return of Moroccans residing abroad, who will be required to present, before boarding a plane or boat, a PCR test of less than 48 hours, as well as a serological test.

In this respect, joint local commissions made up of local authorities and representatives of the ministries of Health and Tourism, representatives of the security services and representatives of the sector’s professionals have been set up to monitor the situation of hotel and tourist units and make them aware of the importance of complying with preventive health measures in order to prevent the emergence of “tourist clusters”.

Laftit recalled that this meeting is part of the high solicitude granted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the health and safety of Moroccan citizens, as well as to the sector of tourism as an essential lever of the national economy.

The meeting was marked by the presence of minister of Health, Khalid Ait Taleb, minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, Air Transport and Social Economy, Nadia Fettah Alaoui and professionals of the sector.