Moderate optimism in Morocco before the announcement of reopening airspace

© Reuters.Moderate optimism in Morocco before the announcement of reopening airspace

Rabat, Jan 28 (.).- After two months with the airspace closed to stop the omicron variant, Morocco has announced that it will resume its flights on February 7, a news received with moderate optimism by entrepreneurs, professionals of the battered tourism sector and by the Moroccans who were caught inthe foreigner, not yet to know the conditions with which the opening will be done.

The Moroccan authorities announced last night that commercial flights will be resumed that day, but left the unknown of how it will be done, explaining that later, without specifying when, they will announce the applicable measures in border stalls and passengers.

Nor is it known when and how the maritime and land borders of the country will open.Sources from the maritime transport sector indicate to EFE that it is expected to first open the maritime lines with France and Italy, less capacity (about 6.000 weekly travelers), and later with Spain (about 70.000), although the bilateral crisis between Madrid and Rabat could influence this type of decisions.

Several testimonies collected by EFE of people affected by the closing measure agree to qualify it as "positive", but also "diffuse" by not specifying all the conditions of entry and exit of the country.

They are representatives of a tourism sector hit by the health crisis and the restrictive measures, entrepreneurs who saw their disturbed activity and hundreds of Moroccans who were blocked abroad when the government announced, with 24 hours of warning, the closure of itsBorder on November 29, a measure that has been extending.

Tourism - which contributes almost 7% to the Moroccan gross domestic product (GDP) is the sector most harmed by restrictive measures.The Maghreb Country Government recently approved a rescue plan of about 200 million euros with direct aid to its workers, but, consulted by EFE, several professionals believe that border opening is the only solution for the recovery of the activity.

"Direct aids are not a sufficient solution, the opening of borders is the only thing that will give life to the sector," says Abdesadeq Qadimi, president of the Association of Tourism Guides.

"The reopening of airspace is very good news.The recovery will be progressive, but at first Morocco has a bag of faithful tourists who will visit the country, "explains Qadimi, who adds that he already has reservations for February 16 of tourist circuits from Europe and Israel.

Both Qadiri and other professionals coincide in their concern that the last border closure has had an impact on trust.Tourists say, the possible unexpected closures are more concerned than Coronavirus himself.

FZB.

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