The full impact of the recent earthquake in Morocco is still to be seen, with tourist destinations and tour operators in the country needing to implement contingency plans to address the effects.
The deadly earthquake struck the country late on Friday night, September 8, claiming more than 2 000 lives and leaving thousands more injured, from its epicentre about 80km outside Marrakesh in the High Atlas Mountains.
Morocco depends heavily on tourism, which represents around 7% of its GDP. An estimated 565 000 jobs (or 5% of total employment) depend on tourism.
Intrepid Travel, one of the largest tour operators in Morocco, told skift.com that it had about 650 clients in the country when the earthquake struck. The company said all its clients on tours, tour guides and staff in Morocco had been accounted for.
“Safety is always Intrepid’s number-one priority. We’re relieved to have been able to account for all our customers and believe cancelling upcoming tour departures is in the best interests of local communities right now,” said Zina Bencheikh, Intrepid’s MD Europe, the Middle East and Africa, based in Morocco. “Our thoughts go out to everyone in Morocco who has been affected by this disaster, and we will do everything we can, including through the Intrepid Foundation, to support communities as they rebuild.”
Tours into Morocco, scheduled with departures up to September 12 have been cancelled to allow authorities to assess and respond to the disaster.
Intrepid’s affected clients are being contacted and offered the option to reschedule their trip or receive a refund, until the company’s tours resume on September 13.
The company’s non-profit, Intrepid Foundation, also established a relief fund, the Morocco Earthquake Appeal, committing to match all donations up to US$64 000 (R1,2 million) to support Education for All and the High Atlas Foundation, which work with local communities to enhance women’s education, improve agricultural participatory development and, offer legal aid and project management.
G Adventures, represented by Development Promotions in the South African market, confirmed that all its travellers and staff had been accounted for. A spokesperson confirmed that all other departures in Morocco are scheduled to run as planned, with minor modifications to trip itineraries to avoid affected areas. The tour operator had to cancel six tours to areas most affected by the earthquake, including a Mount Toubkal Weekend Trek, a Climb Mount Toubkal tour and a Four Days in Marrakech tour.
“We are advising all guests to establish contact with their embassies to register their presence and will release more information as it becomes available,” the spokesperson told skift.com.
According to Jane Davidson, Director of Development Promotions, G Adventures will offer travellers alternative itineraries based on their clients’ individual needs and interests. Davidson doubts many travellers will be visiting the earthquake-stricken region for the next couple of weeks as they take into consideration the need for the country and its authorities to focus on the recovery of its people and national monuments.
Marrakesh’s historic mosques and palaces, which are part of a Unesco World Heritage Site, have yet to determine the full extent of its damage. However, footage shared online showed cracks and fallen rubble at a small section of the city’s medieval walls and a collapsed minaret.
Marrakesh is a popular historic and cultural tourist attraction that accommodates more than two million visitors a year, and houses the famous 12th century Koutoubia Mosque, the Jemaa El Fna Square, an Yves Saint Laurent Museum, thousands of merchants, and hundreds of hotels. It hosts the International Marrakesh Film Festival every year.
According to reuters.com, a 13th Century mosque in the High Atlas Mountains made of earth and stone, and was built by the Almohad medieval dynasty has been badly damaged.
The UN Heritage Organization has sent an assessment team to the Marrakesh Medina and confirmed it would help Morocco write up an inventory of damage to National Heritage Sites and repair strategies.
