2023-09-10 08:51:27
Travelers wait to board a plane at Marrakech airport after the earthquake, Saturday September 9, 2023. HANNAH MCKAY / REUTERS
There is a form of incomprehension in his voice. “When I see the images that are shown of the earthquake and that we talk about Marrakech in the media, I don’t have the impression of living in the same country”, he exclaims. Samuel Roure chairs the association of guest houses in Marrakech, Essaouira and recently Ouarzazate, in all 2,000 establishments, and this Saturday evening, one day after the earthquake which left more than 2,000 dead, he had at heart to sort things out: “I have been crisscrossing the medina since 7:30 a.m. and, out of the 10,000 riads (dwellings and guest houses) in the city, barely 50 have collapsed,” he insists, wishing to point out that, unlike the hard-hit surrounding villages, “the infrastructure is intact, the airport is functioning, as are the telecommunications, water and electricity networks ».
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The situation is much worse in the provinces of Al Haouz (1,293 dead), where the epicenter of the earthquake was located, or Taroudant (452 dead). In Marrakech, which has 1.3 million inhabitants, 13 people died according to a report dating from Saturday September 9 evening.
In Marrakech, where many French owners of riads live, no one questions the ” fright ” which gripped residents last night in the evening, nor the cries and trauma of those who had to take refuge in parks or their cars. To the fear of aftershocks, however, is now added another, more muted one. Let tourists not turn away from the country. And a fortiori of the city, of which they are the main source of income. Hence this need to put things into perspective, “without wanting to minimize the drama”defends Samuel Roure, wanting to avoid the economic consequences of an amalgamation with the most damaged regions – in this case, the mountain villages of the Atlas.
Because, in the space of seven years, “Red City”, has become, instead of Agadir, the main entry point for tourists into the country. The former imperial city is served daily by 75 air connections. And this, while the kingdom is preparing to receive, this year, 13 million tourists including 4.2 million French people, as many as in 2019 before Covid. “This summer, Morocco rose to fifth place among the best-selling destinations by travel operators and to fourth for this fall”notes Jean-Pierre Mas, president of Travel Companies, while the majority of tourists come more independently. “After a long closure of the country, during the pandemic, the French came back, and they did it with real appetite”, confirms Raouf Benslimane who runs Ôvoyages. Of the 6,000 French people present on the spot, and having traveled through tour operators, the latter has 740 customers.
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