Tourist influx overwhelms Marrakech airport, Eid al-Fitr sparks domestic travel boom

Marrakech Menara Airport experienced a chaotic weekend due to overcrowding, disorganization, and long wait times, reminiscent of the pre-pandemic peak season.

Passengers arriving in Marrakesh and tourism professionals expressed their frustration with the congestion and long queues at immigration control, which could take up to three hours.

The airport was overwhelmed by the influx of passengers visiting Marrakech, with around 200 flights from across Europe bringing in thousands of tourists. 

هكذا هو حال مطار مراكش ?? في الأول لم أصدق لكن تبين لي انه فعلا مطار مراكش وش السر في ? pic.twitter.com/nwUXb7auOv

— khaledo (@khaledo_m7575) April 15, 2024

مطار مراكش اليوم ?… تخيل في كأس العالم شحال تاع السياح غادي يجيو ليها pic.twitter.com/AaX6zaWYW7

— Enissay ?? (@mr_enissay) April 15, 2024

Local tourism professionals reported a surge in domestic tourism during the holiday, with many Moroccan families booking hotel rooms 15 days in advance for Eid al-Fitr, with prices starting from 350 dirhams. 

This coincided with the arrival of hundreds of foreign tourists, who choose this spring season to enjoy the charm of the Red City, particularly from France, Germany, and Britain.

Rumors had circulated over the past few months about the “imminent construction of a new airport near Marrakech. 

The rumours stated that a new airport being built 30 kilometers from the city of Marrakech, with a large capacity of up to 10 million passengers per year to relieve the pressure on Marrakech Menara International Airport”

However, an informed source denied the veracity of these reports, which were circulated by some media outlets, and confirmed that “there is no concrete project to date.”

The source told Hespress that “there is no programming for the project in the current circumstances, but rather it is just a revival of an old discussion on the subject in a closed meeting with tourism professionals.”

A source who attended the ordinary general meeting of the Regional Tourism Council of Marrakech-Safi, explained  that “there is no concrete or programmed project within the agenda of investment projects related to the construction of a new airport.”

The source explained that, the Wali of the Marrakech-Safi region and the governor of the Marrakech prefecture, who chaired the ordinary general meeting of the regional tourism council had mentioned, in passing, the possibility of considering the allocation of a special space for “Low Cost” airlines and the feasibility of having an airport dedicated to low-cost airlines in the city.

It is worth noting that “Marrakech-Menara Airport” has been undergoing “expansion works” for most of its final facilities, and the results of the call for tenders for the architectural studies for the expansion project, which started in 2023, were recently announced.