marrakech tourism after earthquake

Morocco’s Marrakesh is awakening slowly from the earthquake damage

In the medina beloved by tourists, signs of recovery lie side-by-side with lasting damage.

Marrakesh, Morocco – Like everyone in Marrakesh, 39-year-old Zakaria Lamnichri was surprised when the earthquake hit six months ago.

Speaking from his stall in the centre of the city, the easy flow of his conversation interrupted by queries from browsing tourists, he recalls the tremors he experienced as the magnitude 6.9 earthquake ripped through the nearby mountains, claiming the lives of about 3,000 people.

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“The moment, for those who lived it, was horrifying. My wife and son were away in the mountains. I was here. I was terrified for them. For them, that terror lasted for days,” he said, describing how rescuers struggled to reach the small, isolated village where his family was staying and, like many in the High Atlas Mountains, accessible only by donkey or moped.

“No one expected it,” he continued. “No one knew what to do. What affected me especially was the emotional part, of seeing other people’s problems. Of rich people who were left with nothing,” he says, pausing.

“People who had children and lost them.”

While the epicentre of the earthquake may have been some 75km (47 miles) distant, the destruction that remains in the centre of Marrakesh is a testament to its destructive power. Equally, that the tourists have returned in such numbers is a testament to the enduring lure of the North African city.

However, for many of the people who live here, like those in the mountains, any sense of permanence, or confidence that the future may hold the same rewards and challenges as the past, has been lost.

History ends

Today, much of the rubble that blocked the passageways of the 12th-century medina has been cleared. However, for the houses hit the worst, like those in the Jewish district, or mellah, fields of loose rock now lie where homes once stood.

Karim Nassir’s house withstood the earthquake. But he remembers being bundled out into the dark, along with his wife and his seven-year-old son.

“It was very dark,” he recalls now, his son hanging off his leg. “But you could hear the houses falling down,” he said, describing the dust and confusion that filled the narrow lanes and alleyways that define much of the medina.

“A lot of families have changed their houses,” 27-year-old spice seller Abdul Samad says. “A lot of families have gone. It’s all over, look,” he says, pointing to the latticework of cracks and fissures that stretch out along the wall behind him.

“My family has changed house,” he says, describing how his family’s home had barely withstood the quake.

While the damage extends across much of the medina, even reaching as far as the landmark Kutubiyya Mosque, whose distinctive minaret adorns the thousands of fridge magnets on sale throughout the medina, the brunt was felt in the mellah, once home to about 70,000 ethnic inhabitants, reduced over subsequent years by emigration, war and history to a cluster of just 250.

Across the mellah, houses that had withstood the passage of generations lie in rubble, their inhabitants forced to live in storehouses and outhouses undamaged by the quake.

Everywhere, as it is across the mountains that look down upon the city, people talk of the loss of any sense of permanence, of waiting for the next earthquake that will destroy everything in a region that, historically, has known only earthquakes.

Tourists return

Inevitably, as news of the earthquake spread around the world, tourists cancelled their trips.

Tourism, representing approximately 7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), is one of the key pillars of the Moroccan economy that had been all but wiped out during the global pandemic.

For a time in September at least, it seemed like any kind of sustainable recovery would elude what was Morocco’s most visited city. But as inevitably as the tourists departed, they returned.

Despite the destruction and loss of life, 2023 proved a record year, with tourism closing 12 percent up on the previous year.

Even in February, the low season by Moroccan standards, Marrakesh’s hotels buzz with the international chatter of hikers, tourists and the curious, while the alleyways and lanes of the medina are full of those seeking a little winter sun and some culture.

“Numbers dropped by around half after the earthquake,” stallholder Nourddine Idar says from the depths of the Jewish district, the wall behind him a tapestry of imitation animal hides.

“About two weeks later, they were back,” the 26-year-old said, describing the variety of visitors that pass by his shop and peruse his goods.

Cracks line the wall opposite him.

In the courtyard of one of the mellah’s two synagogues, Brian Cox and Kayleigh Singh, both in their 20s, had just arrived the day before from the United Kingdom to scrutinise an especially confident tortoise.

“We just came to see something new,” Kayleigh says.

Jack chimes in: “We heard it’s very culturally rich and the people are very nice and welcoming, too.”

However, there is no denying that the medina remains shattered. Tourists must now snake their way past joints and buttresses to explore the medina’s inner reaches, just as residents have come to lie their washing upon the soaring wooden joints so that they can dry in the sun.

In the square, Zakaria combs through a box of welded metal fittings. “You know, coronavirus changed our [attitude to] life, the way you survive, the way you treat money, the way you think money will always be there, that your work will be there.

“You know, before corona[virus], we were too arrogant, or at least I was,” he says with a laugh. He looks out at the square, the competing stands and the bustling tourists.

“After what happened here, we realised that we were nothing. What we have now, we can lose a second,” he said. “It’s not about work any more. It’s about family, it’s about life, it’s about the future. People don’t (have to) die, you know. to lose their life.”

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After Morocco’s devastating earthquake, the tourism industry rallies round

Travel and tour operators are getting involved in the country’s relief effort, knowing how vital tourism is to its economy

“My family is safe,” our tour guide Sara Chakir said as we huddled in the streets outside Fez’s medina, waiting for aftershocks until the early hours. Morocco’s 6.8 magnitude earthquake had struck last Friday, 350 miles away in the Al Haouz region of the High Atlas mountains at just after 11pm. It was enough to send our riad swaying, but there was no apparent damage to people or place. It was only in the morning that the scale of destruction elsewhere was clear. Another tour guide, Hossain ait Mhand, said: “My family is fine, but others in their town are not so lucky – homes have been flattened.”

I was on my way to a conference in Marrakech, about 40 miles north of where the earthquake was centred, but detoured home. Those already in the city saw blood bank queues snaking around the streets after a government call out. Marrakech’s medina experienced damage, and 50 people were reported to have died there. Tourists trickled out of the city.

Three days later, the death toll was almost 3,000, and with more than 5,000 people injured. Some of Morocco’s most remote communities were the hardest hit, making recovery efforts difficult. Some villages are still waiting for relief; in others, rescuers have little hope – ancient clay buildings have crumbled entirely. The village of Tafeghaghte, for example, has lost 90 of its 400 residents.

Though the Al Haouz region is a popular hiking destination edging into peak season, tourists have been relatively unharmed.

Chris McHugo, co-owner of the community-run hotel Kasbah du Toubkal, said: “Here in Imlil, the damage is less than in other places. It’s partly because tourism has funded building work here, meaning the village is more structurally sound than others. The old part of our kasbah is damaged, but the rooms were unharmed.”

Others have not been as fortunate. In the quiet village of Agnie, a beautiful, locally owned lodge I visited last year, Chez Momo II, has been badly damaged.

Just down the road in Asni, Education For All , a charity providing boarding and support so that girls from the region’s most remote communities can go to school, has been devastated by the earthquake. Its chief executive, Sonia Omar, has said it will have to rebuild at least five of the six boarding houses.

“Our immediate need is confirming our girls’ safety and cooperating with aid agencies to get food, water, blankets, torches and medical supplies where they are most needed,” she said. There are still 55 girls unaccounted for. The charity has started emergency fundraising focused on long-term repair.

Morocco had a record-breaking 2.9 million international visitors in the first quarter of 2023, and the travel industry has been quick to rally support. The Intrepid Foundation , run by the adventure travel company Intrepid Travel – which takes groups to destinations around the country – is fundraising for its two NGO partners on the ground: Education For All for long-term relief and the High Atlas Foundation for immediate relief. The latter usually runs sustainable infrastructure projects, so it is well placed to redeploy services. So far, Intrepid has raised AUS$340,582 (£176,620) after fund matching the first AUS$100,000.

Much Better Adventures is donating 5% of its September revenue to the High Atlas Foundation. Exodus Adventure Travels has launched fundraising for React disaster response , and Global Giving‘s Morocco Earthquake Relief Fund is supporting immediate needs. This week The Conscious Travel Foundation rallied industry support at a fundraiser in London, where they raised £10,000 and discussed how best to respond to these kinds of disasters.

For those travelling to Morocco imminently, the Foreign Office advice is to check with travel companies and tour operators before departing, though the industry’s overall message is one of still encouraging people to travel.

Intrepid has adapted itineraries that involve the Atlas mountains region, and other tour operators are doing the same. The message from tour guides, NGOs, and travel businesses is increasingly clear: continuing to travel responsibly is an important part of support.

“Our message is strong,” said Gail Leonard from the local operator Plan-it Morocco. “Your tourism dollar is critical to the ongoing relief effort here in Morocco.” Jarrod Kyte, the product and sustainability director at Steppes Travel, who was in the mountains during the earthquake, agrees. Steppes’ partner at Hotel Dar Ahlam in Skoura told me: “Beyond the aid that is being provided, tourist arrivals constitute a message of hope and support that is just as necessary and vital for Morocco.”

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Should you travel to Morocco after the earthquake?

Oct 3, 2023 • 4 min read

While parts of Morocco were heavily damaged by the earthquake, the country remains most open to visitors © Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty Images

As anyone who’s visited Morocco will tell you, it’s the local people who make any trip there truly memorable.

The hospitality and kindness you experience will stay with you long after you’ve returned home. But should you be planning on a trip to the beguiling country after the devastating earthquake in September 2023?

A devastating disaster

“Despite being in shock after the quake,” says Elsewhere Morocco expert Nawfal Serhir, “the people we met when we delivered aid to villages around Taroudant were as welcoming as ever. Even though many were homeless and grieving, they still greeted us warmly with a smile.”

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit just after 11pm on Friday, September 8, devastating remote villages in the High Atlas Mountains , killing more than 3000 people and injuring almost twice that number. Traditional homes built of rammed earth collapsed. Concrete buildings such as shops and schools cracked and fell apart at odd angles.

The government was quick to send in heavy machinery to clear the roads so that relief could reach the villagers. Where earthmovers couldn’t proceed, helicopters dropped doctors and firemen, while soldiers went in on foot accompanied by mules carrying supplies. Local and foreign-aid agencies have delivered food and warm clothing, and Moroccans from all over the country have sent aid packages. King Mohamed VI was one of thousands who gave blood; the monarch has announced major compensation for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

The quake was perplexingly choosy – razing one village yet sparing another in the next valley. People affected are now living in tents, their homes too dangerous to enter. The rebuilding program is already under way, though winter is around the corner and snow is imminent.

Some 60 miles north of the earthquake’s epicenter lies the country’s premier tourist destination,  Marrakesh . A few people lost their lives in the city, some buildings were damaged, part of the walls crumbled and the minaret of a mosque lay in ruins. Some of the historic buildings in this Unesco World Heritage site are now closed while they are checked for structural problems.

Where does all this leave potential visitors? Is it all doom and gloom? Would you feel guilty having a fun holiday while people are injured or homeless? Should you even think of coming now?

The answer is a resounding yes .

In fact, come soon – as your visit is crucial to the local relief effort. There’s no need to feel guilty or to cancel your trip. Your support is vital now and you will make a valuable contribution to the economy by underpinning local jobs.

Here’s what visitors to Morocco can expect after the earthquake

• All airports are operating as normal and transport services such as trains and buses are running as normal.
• Major roads, such as the N9 through the High Atlas between Ouarzazate and Marrakesh, are clear and have not been damaged.
• Some of the historic monuments in Marrakesh such as the weaving museum Dar Si Saïd , the new Museum of Intangible Heritage , the Musée des Confluences at Dar El Bacha , the Saadian Tombs , the Bahia Palace and the Badia Palace are temporarily closed.
• There are plenty of other monuments and sights to visit, such as the lovely Jardin Secret or the almost 20 museums in the medina. Fortunately, the magnificent, newly restored Ben Youssef Medersa is still open, the souks are as inviting as ever and the evening street-food carnival on Djemaa El Fna is just as much fun.
• In the Ville Nouvelle (new city), where there was no damage, the Jardin Majorelle , Yves Saint Laurent Museum , chic boutiques, art galleries and excellent restaurants await.
• If you’re going trekking or mountain biking in the High Atlas, routes are open and safe. Local guides will put your safety first and take you on secure routes. It’s the areas around the quake’s epicenter – the villages of Moulay Brahim, Amizmiz, Ijoukak and Talaat N’Yaaqoub – that you will avoid.

Explore places in Morocco far from the earthquake epicenter

The earth trembled across a country the size of Texas on that fateful Friday night, but fortunately there has been little damage beyond the High Atlas and Marrakesh. Don’t forget the wealth of fabulous places to visit in Morocco beyond red city of Marrakesh. Fez has an ancient medina with spectacular architecture, and Chefchaouen is soaked in that charming blue hue. You can catch a thrilling wave on the coast (especially in winter), ride a camel across Saharan dunes and discover the delights of Moroccan cuisine. And there are other hiking options, such as the cedar forests and gentle slopes of the Middle Atlas and the more northerly Rif Mountains .

Wherever you are, in a city riad or a rural lodge, the resilient Moroccan people will steal your heart with that welcoming smile and glass of frothy mint tea.

How you can help

People in the mountains need warm clothes, shoes and blankets for the rapidly approaching winter weather. Buy supplies locally, then pop into Café Clock in Marrakesh as it’s a collection point for donations of any kind.

If you’re going into the mountains, ask your guide if there’s anything you could take for the people there.

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Marrakesh tourism operators urge people to travel to Morocco after the earthquake

'more than ever we really need people to come and support us now,' says one business owner.

Tourists in Jemaa el-Fnaa square in Marrakesh days after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Morocco. EPA

Life is normal in the streets of Marrakesh, says Laila Lamb, despite the damage and debris after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck only 70 kilometres south-west of the city late on Friday.

Lamb is Moroccan, but grew up in New York City, and she owns a travel and events company that operates in her home country, where she now lives. She only narrowly missed the disaster , having left on a plane to Italy for an event on Friday evening. When she landed a few hours later, her phone pinged endlessly with messages from concerned friends and family.

When she realised what had happened, and understood the magnitude of the tragedy, she went into action. She’s spent the past three days on her phone, mobilising fellow tourism and hospitality business owners, and organising relief efforts.

“The city has superficial damages,” she tells The National over Zoom, speaking fast and frantically pacing around. “A lot of facades have been damaged and in the old city, because the construction is old, there was more destruction, but very low compared to other parts.”

The medina, a Unesco World Heritage Site , is the worst hit area of the city, with crumbling walls and damaged buildings that have been around since the 12th century.

The epicentre of the earthquake was up in the Atlas Mountains, an area that’s home to many isolated villages with no road access, which is where the most devastating damage has taken place. “People are burying the dead and waiting for help,” says Lamb, who knows those who have lost family members and had their entire village wiped out.

As of Tuesday, the death toll is creeping closer to 3,000 and Unicef has said at least 100,000 children have been affected. While the country experiences frequent earthquakes, the last major tremor, in 2004, killed 628 people.

Survivors in Talat N'Yaaqoub receive much-needed aid after the earthquake that struck Morocco. Reuters

The Atlas Mountains are also a very popular tourist destination. Charlie Shepherd, the British owner of Epic Travel, which designs custom trips for travellers in Morocco and Portugal, had a group staying in a hotel in the mountains when the earthquake hit, he tells The National . As the property crumbled, Shepherd’s team spent the night getting people out and to safety in Marrakesh, which “was essentially in pretty good nick,” he says. “Particularly in the new part of the city, which was a bit of a safe haven.”

He has since driven around the mountains to get an idea of the damage, assessing whether his clients should still come. “From what I see is absolutely, yes,” says Shepherd. So far, Epic Travel has only received one cancellation. “But we’re a fairly niche company, we don’t have huge volume and we also have close communications with our direct clients... There’s a tendency for people to go along with us as we’re on the ground," he says.

“There are definitely cancellations coming in elsewhere, which is to be expected as that does tend to happen and it’s a knee-jerk reaction,” he adds. “I think hotels will get hit quite badly by that. They don’t have the chance to speak to people and that’s key.”

After taking a couple of days to do due diligence, Shepherd is telling his clients it's safe to come. Some operators on the ground, however, have postponed tours and are offering refunds, and, naturally, any tours to certain areas of the Atlas Mountains are on hold indefinitely.

Philomena Schurer Merckoll, a hotelier with Riad Mena, emphasises how reliant Marrakesh is on tourism for its economy. Figures show that pre-pandemic, in 2019, the industry contributed up to 12 per cent of the country's GDP, with a total value of about 140.4 billion Moroccan dirhams ($15.6 million), according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council. The country had projected a return to pre-pandemic levels this year.

"Obviously the worry is that people will cancel their trips to Marrakesh," says Merckoll. "Things will be back to normal quite quickly in the city and the best way to support the people is to keep your trips as planned and support local businesses from hotels to the artisans in the souqs."

But Lamb says she has found people around the world seem to think Marrakesh has been destroyed. "What I really want people to know is that it is safe to visit Morocco. More than ever we really need people to come and support us now.”

Moroccans want the world to know their country is open, Shepherd adds. "They need help and support through what tourism can bring.

“The solidarity of everybody here is just unbelievable. It would take a lot more than an earthquake to crush the spirit of Moroccans.”

'Be assured that the recovery in Marrakesh will be quick'

The airport, located in the west of the city, is operating as normal, although some flights have been cancelled or delayed over the past few days. The US Embassy in Morocco recommends contacting airlines directly about potential changes to any trips.

The UK foreign office confirms flights to and from the UK are operating normally, with some airlines, including British Airways, laying on additional seats for travellers wanting to go home earlier than planned. “If you are planning to travel to Morocco imminently, we advise you check with your accommodation provider / tour operator to confirm arrangements before departure in case of disruption or damage resulting from the earthquake,” a statement reads on its website.

Meanwhile, the UAE operates no direct flights to Marrakesh Menara Airport, as Emirates serves Casablanca, while Etihad Airways offers a code share with Royal Air Maroc, with flights going through European cities including Istanbul and Barcelona. The local Moroccan airline is offering free date changes to customers who are travelling up until September 23. British Airways Holidays is doing the same for anyone travelling to or from Marrakesh in the next two weeks.

Hotels in the city are also open for business, although some, including Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakesh and Nobu Hotel Marrakech, which only opened in January , sustained minor damage, The National confirmed. El Fenn Hotel, a luxury property in the medina, also reported cosmetic damage and has closed its rooftop and boutique until Wednesday afternoon.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by El Fenn Hotel Marrakech (@elfennmarrakech)

“Be assured that the recovery in Marrakesh will be quick, but it will be a far longer process for many rural communities,” the hotel shared in a post on social media. “We hope many of you will participate in the process by donating, travelling and supporting this beautiful land we’re proud to call home.”

It's properties in the mountains that have sustained the most damage, says Shepherd, making it difficult for tourists to visit those areas for now.

Souvenir shops and other stalls in the old town have also experienced destruction, particularly broken stock, says Lamb, and all of the events she’s heard of within the next month or so in the city have been postponed or called off.

Travellers must also be wary that hospitals in the area have limited capacity as they treat survivors.

But the government is reacting "extremely well", says Lamb, particularly with cleaning up the streets and removing debris. "There’s such an incredible effort to have everything rebuilt. The Moroccan people are incredible. I can’t believe what I’ve seen in the past 48 hours. People mobilising together, it's been the most heartwarming community effort."

Will there be any lasting impact on travel and tourism?

“I think for the next few months there will definitely be an impact [on tourism], but I personally think after December things will bounce back,” says Lamb.

Shepherd is also optimistic there won’t be any lasting impact on the local tourism industry, although in the short term he says it’s a “complex picture”.

For now, everyone in the city is focused on rebuilding. Both Shepherd and Lamb are involved in separate donation campaigns. Lamb flew back on Tuesday to join the 20 or so other entrepreneurs who are part of her relief efforts as they continue to collect money, food, water, beds, tents and trucks. Together they have raised more than $20,000 so far.

Shepherd’s company, meanwhile, has set up a funding page for Afoulki, a local NGO that helps women and families and is now working to relieve affected areas. Through that, they’ve raised more than €20,000. “We’re also using some of our cars to ferry supplies up to the mountains. We’re just doing what we can, really.”

In the UAE, tour operator Forever Tourism, which offers trips between Dubai and Morocco, is already planning promotional packages for its clients to "help attract visitors back to the region and provide an economic boost to local businesses", owner Kapil Sahansi confirmed to The National.

“I really encourage people to come,” says Shepherd. “Moroccans are such hospitable people in their nature. Hospitality has risen up from the Sahara, it’s something everyone has here and they’re delighted to see people from abroad and never more so than now.

“It’s really an act of support to come out to Morocco.”

Lamb agrees. “Our culture is very special and people, when they come here, always talk about how hospitable and kind Moroccans are. It really shines in times like this," she says.

“The uniqueness and how kind and giving and open-hearted our culture is – I think it’s because of that, that we will be able to bounce back quickly.”

Checking In

Travel updates and inspiration from the past week

How to Help Marrakech Right Now

You might be thinking "no" to Morocco at this moment. But they need tourist dollars more than ever. And if you've never been, you are in for a treat.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

To go or not to go? A similar question arose last month about Maui. Was it unseemly to engage in non-essential travel to a place where lives were so tragically lost? Maui officials initially urged travelers to stay away, even from those parts of Maui unaffected by the catastrophic wildfires—but then changed their minds. Why heap economic woes, was the reasoning, upon natural and humanitarian ones? Still, for several hours, I agonized about it.

I almost couldn't bear not going. So much about Marrakech is so familiar to me. I've been there nine times already (also in Fes, Essaouira, and the Skoura oasis). The first time was for my honeymoon, which I spent mostly at La Mamounia , the grande dame of the city's hotels. There is nothing about Marrakech that I don't love and crave and look forward to: from the bustle and traditional treasures of its labyrinthine walled medina, a World Heritage Site, to the chic shops, restaurants, and galleries of its Europeanized Gueliz quarter; from the uniquely Moroccan charms of its hotels and riads ( zellige tiles, nejjarine woodwork, bowls of roses everywhere) to the sounds of dogs howling at night out on the Haouz, the tawny plain beneath the High Atlas Mountains upon which the city was founded in 1059 by the Almoravids, Morocco’s first Berber dynasty (originally as a military encampment and soon after as a walled city).

And how thrilling—at least for me it's always been—that just beyond those mountains, so gorgeously visible from Marrakech and over which camel caravans used to arrive from Timbuktu, stretches the Sahara desert. Le plus proche des pays lointains is how the French, romantically and Euro-centrically, have described Morocco's allure: "The nearest of the distant lands." Indeed.

I did cancel my flight. PURE hadn't been called off yet; but bets were on that at any moment it would be. And it was, as soon as the full extent of the tragedy—by far the worst of it unfolding in the fragile, mud-brick Berber villages of the High Atlas Mountains—became clear. To date, almost 3,000 are reported to have been killed, some 2,500 injured. (The Berbers, or Imazighen, "free people," as they prefer to be called, are the historically fiercely independent pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa, and Morocco's largest ethnic group.)

Recovery up in those High Atlas settlements will likely take years, if not decades. But that should not stop you from traveling to Morocco—especially Marrakech. The airport is fully operating. The city itself, which lies 43 miles from the quake's epicenter in the mountains, is, with a few exceptions, essentially unscathed. Friends and colleagues who had arrived in Marrakech before the quake were rattled but unhurt.

One, who was staying at La Mamounia, reports running toward the open area around the hotel pool as soon as she realized what was happening: “The pool had a huge wave in it, the pool equivalent of a tsunami.” She and fellow hotel guests spent the night in the garden on pool loungers and towels on the ground, and were back in their rooms the next day.

.css-4rnr1w:before{margin:0 auto 1.875rem;width:60%;height:0.125rem;content:'';display:block;background-color:#9a0500;color:#fff;} .css-gcw71x{color:#030929;font-family:NewParis,NewParis-fallback,NewParis-roboto,NewParis-local,Georgia,Times,serif;font-size:1.625rem;line-height:1.2;margin:0rem;}@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-gcw71x{font-size:2.25rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-gcw71x{font-size:2.625rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gcw71x{font-size:2.8125rem;line-height:1.1;}}.css-gcw71x b,.css-gcw71x strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-gcw71x em,.css-gcw71x i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;} "Please tell your friends that we are still here. Marrakech has not gone away."

If you are nevertheless anxious about the appropriateness of traveling there, consider this: Two days after the earthquake, at a gathering of PURE attendees already in Marrakech, Hamid Bentahar, president of the Tourism Council of Marrakech, addressed those gathered with these words: "Please tell your friends that we are still here. Marrakech hasn't gone away." In other words, "please encourage people to come." By that time, most hotels were already assuring the public on their social media channels that they are fully open for business, including La Mamounia, Oberoi Marrakech , Fairmont Royal Palm , Mandarin Oriental ...the list goes on and on. A wedding took place at the Royal Mansour this past weekend, guests largely from the United States.

Bentahar's plea is wholly understandable: Many Moroccans who work in hospitality have families up in those Berber villages. And most families in the region, the city and the mountains, are affected, in one way or another, by the tourism industry. A weak tourist sector won't help farmers, guides, shopkeepers, drivers, chefs, weavers, seamstresses, leather workers, artists, craftspeople, and countless others rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and lives.

Working to do that on the ground are a number of local charitable organizations which are providing various combinations of medical supplies, food, water, shelter, transport, and counseling, and which are dependent on donor dollars. If you wish to help that way, these three orgs are on the lips of trusted friends of Morocco:

Education for All Morocco

This remarkable organization, whose work I witnessed first-hand, provides chaperoned dormitory housing near schools for young Moroccan women who, because of the remoteness of the mountain villages they call home, would otherwise have no reliable access to formal schooling. The destruction in the High Atlas makes its mission even more urgent. See also @efa_morocco.

Banque Alimentaire

Founded in 2002 in Casablanca, this food bank works with more than 200 associations across Morocco to provide food storage, transport, and delivery to communities in need.

Global Diversity Foundation

This philanthropic organization has been working in the High Atlas for more than a decade, supporting its traditional communities in a variety of ways. Among the current priorities are temporary shelter and clothing (winter is coming to the High Atlas) for those who have lost their homes and, in the longer term, finding solutions for earthquake-safe traditional home rebuilding.

If you are contemplating a trip to Morocco, now or later, I highly recommend the following travel advisors, both of whom specialize in Morocco, have deep local connections, and will organize for you everything from the best hotels to guides, restaurants, transport, and excursions: Hicham Mohammedi Alaoui of Experience Morocco (email: [email protected] ); and Michael Diamond of Cobblestone Private Travel (e-mail: michael@cobblestonprivatetravel).

Klara Glowczewska is the Executive Travel Editor of Town & Country , covering topics related to travel specifically (places, itineraries, hotels, trends) and broadly (conservation, culture, adventure), and was previously the Editor in Chief of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. 

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Morocco’s Resilience: Intrepid Travel Helps Tourism Rebound After Earthquake

Dawit Habtemariam , Skift

March 1st, 2024 at 10:21 AM EST

Intrepid Travel used its resources to bring tourism back to the High Atlas communities devastated by the September 8 earthquake.

Dawit Habtemariam

Intrepid Travel has been driving tourism back to Moroccan villages impacted by the September earthquake.

It’s been over six months since a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Marrakech and communities in the Atlas Mountains region. The natural disaster left over 2,900 dead, 5,500 injured and many homes, roads and buildings destroyed.

Since the earthquake, Intrepid has been doing its part to help these communities fully recover. After the earthquake struck, Intrepid Travel’s philanthropic arm, the Intrepid Foundation, quickly raised $550,000, plus $100,000 from its own funds. 

“It was the biggest appeal we’ve ever had in 35 years of history,” said Zina Bencheikh, managing director of the Middle East, Europe, and Africa for Intrepid Travel.

Intrepid worked with two partners to provide emergency services to get the communities back on their feet. Education for All built boarding house schools for girls who lost theirs to the earthquake. Its other partner, the High Atlas Foundation, brought shelter, food, and aid to the survivors. 

“When the earthquake hit Morocco, really for our business, we were hit in the middle of our core, where we operate,” said Bencheikh. “In fact, rural areas are really the core of our operations in Morocco. Specifically, all our tours go to rural areas.”

Intrepid Travel’s Deep Roots in Morocco

Intrepid, which recently hosted Skift in Morocco at it its annual company retreat, takes travelers off the beaten path with a community-based approach to tourism. To ensure this, the global organization partners with small, independent businesses to make sure income reaches the grassroots level of a destination, said Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton at the Skift Global Forum in September.

Over 90% of Intrepid’s guides directly come from Morocco’s rural areas. 

In Morocco, Intrepid takes travelers out of touristy areas. It partners with families, locals, and small businesses to give travelers authentic Moroccan experiences, said Mohamed El Bahri, an Intrepid tour guide.

On some tours, tourists watch and partake in breadmaking, stay in guest houses, hike the Agafay desert and Atlas Mountains, and have dinner with locals. 

“To know Moroccans, you have to go to their heart. What is their heart? It’s their house,” said El Bahri.

Tourism: a Vital Sector for Morocco

During the week of the September 8 earthquake, flight bookings for Morocco dropped 35%, according to ForwardKeys. Bookings remained 22% down for the three weeks after the earthquake. 

Tourism has become a major industry of Morocco’s economy, having taken up a bigger share of employment, said Siham Fettouhi, Morocco Tourism Office Director for USA and Canada, in October.

Tourism was 16% of Morocco’s total exports in 2022, according to UN Tourism . As a share of just service exports, it made up 45%.

Sending a Recovery Message

To help its communities, Intrepid leveraged its brand name, size and resources to convey that Morocco is still open to tourism.

One of the dangers of a natural disaster for a destination is that tourists can mistakenly assume the whole destination has been hit – that they should not visit out of respect for the impacted communities or because certain attractions are closed.

Intrepid did a PR campaign on behalf of Morocco.

Intrepid restarted tours to some of the impacted areas once their roads were open again. On December 1, Intrepid returned to the village of Imlil, which had been disconnected due to damaged roads. 

“It was quite fast because we really needed to send a strong message and make sure that our communities don’t get a double impact from this devastating earthquake,” said Bencheikh.

The fact that Marrakech’s major international events continued as scheduled also sent a strong message. In October, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund held their annual meeting in Marrakech. Over 14,000 attendees attended the meeting.

In the first 11 months of 2023, Morocco welcomed 13.2 million tourists, beating its 2019 level of 12.9 million, reported Morocco World News .

Atlas Communities Continue to Rebuild

While tourism continues to flow back to many of the impacted villages, many survivors are still healing. Not wanting to leave their communities, some are staying in tents waiting for their new homes to be built. 

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Tags: intrepid travel , morocco , tourism

Photo credit: A view of the Atlas Mountains from the village of View from the village of Imlil in Morocco in February 2024. Photo by Sean O'Neill. Source: Skift. Sean O'Neill

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Should tourists still visit Morocco in earthquake aftermath?

The north african country faces a desperate period of trying to rebuild, but should holidaymakers stay away or still honour their trips to help local communities atlas mountains resident alice morrison shares her on-the-ground advice, article bookmarked.

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T he Morocco earthquake ripped through the Atlas Mountains on Friday 8 September, leaving death and destruction in its wake in one of the most beautiful and remote regions of the country. As the dust began to settle it became clear that the worst hit areas were right in the heart of the High Atlas around Ijoukak and Talaat N’Yaqoub. Although important tourist areas like Marrakech and Imlil were in the quake zone, they survived more or less intact.

Relief efforts were mobilised immediately and, by the morning, the Moroccan police and army had reached the towns and villages along the main road to the centre of the devastation. Around 3,000 people have died in the disaster and many more have been left homeless as traditional clay-built houses collapsed like packs of cards. Newer concrete houses appeared able to withstand the force more, although if they were near the epicentre they crumbled too.

The very beauty of the landscape, which attracts so many visitors, has been its undoing. Small hamlets strung across the peaks, sometimes a day or two days’ journey from a road, were very difficult to reach.

Now, a week on, almost all known villages have received aid and support. Tented camps have been built in every community for the homeless. The food situation is good and food is being dropped by helicopter to the most isolated. All main roads have been cleared and government and charitable aid is getting to the right people.

Read more on Morocco travel :

• How can I support victims of the Morocco earthquake?
• Is it safe to travel to Morocco right now?
• Climb every mountain: Hiking Morocco’s mighty peaks

Miraculously, no tourists were killed in the earthquake. Morvern Mackenzie was staying in Toubkal refuge at the base of Morocco ’s highest mountain when the earthquake struck and spent the following night in Imlil with her guide, Mohamed Aitidar, and his family. She said: “The love and kindness we were show during this time was unbelievable.”

Colleen Cassar, tour leader host for Roam Like Queens, was in Fes with 11 travellers from Australia when the quake happened. “I woke up to our building squeaking,” she said. In the morning, she realised what had happened and consulted the guests. The group is well away from the afflicted areas; all but one decided to stay. “I feel conflicted because here I am prancing around the country having a great time. But I am continuing to put out a positive message about Morocco. It is not just an earthquake. It is a people. It is a culture,” added Ms Cassar.

The decision to stay is warmly welcomed by the local residents who are looking to the future, both immediate and in the longer term. “The last thing the Moroccans want is to be hit by an earthquake and then hit by an economic downturn,” from Mike McHugo, co-founder of Kasbah du Toubkal in Imlil.

Give us two weeks. Right now we are concentrating on our families and our communities. But after that, we want to get back to work

Zina Bencheikh, the Manging Director of Intrepid Travel in EMEA, hopes that “the Moroccan government will rebuild in the rural areas in a way that the people can benefit and so when travel comes back it comes back in the right way. It is an opportunity to rebuild this area as an asset to the country and to encourage responsible, ethical and sustainable tourism.”

So, what should travellers do?

“Don’t cancel your bookings,” urges Linda Lyons, owner of Riad Linda in Marrakech. “Our riad is totally fine and most of Marrakech is safe. I had guests staying with me on Saturday who completed their stay and very few cancellations. I’ve even had a couple of new bookings today.”

That message is echoed in the north and south of Morocco, where the impact was marginal. In the High Atlas, Rachid Imerhane, President of the Guides’ Association, says, “Give us two weeks. Right now we are concentrating on our families and our communities. We still have much to do. But after that, we want to get back to work.”

The infrastructure of the country is intact and the roads that were blocked have now been reopened. However, buildings have been damaged and work is already underway to assess them and to then either repair or rebuild them. In Marrakech, there is also the option of staying in the new town, Gueliz, where the buildings are modern and concrete built.

In the Atlas Mountains, Mr Imerhane says they will take the utmost precautions when guests and hikers return. “The trails are actually fine to hike and the safety of our guests is the first thing in our mind,” he said. “We will stay mainly in tents or in gîtes that have no damage to them whatsoever.”

“Guests are from God” is the saying in the mountains, and the resounding message from Morocco is that it wants its vistors to return. So don’t stay away for too long if you really want to help communities re-find their feet.

Dos and Don’ts for travellers

Do consider donating to one of the excellent funds like theintrepidfoundation.org or gofundme.com

Don’t feel guilty about coming. You are wanted and your visit will give the Moroccans purpose as well as supporting the local economy.

Don’t fly to Morocco to help with the relief effort. Although a very kind impulse, this is being well taken care of and individual interventions can actually be disruptive.

Do make friends in Morocco and see if there is any further help and support to give them in future.

Money is the best gift to give but you can also check with your guide/agency before you arrive to see if anything else is needed if you are travelling into the mountains.

Alice Morrison is an adventurer and author of Adventures in Morocco. She has lived in the Atlas Mountains in Imlil for five years and was there when the earthquake struck.

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Six Months On: Life & Tourism After Morocco’s Earthquake

I remember the first few weeks after the earthquake struck Morocco . The six months of recovery since then have been marked by hope, challenges, and, above all, the firm determination to rebuild. As Epic’s Head of Sustainability & Community and one of the team members based in Morocco, I’ve made many visits to the High Atlas Mountains in the months since the tragedy, and so I’ll provide an honest update on the progress made since my previous reflection made soon after the event.

Rebuilding lives in the High Atlas

Reconstruction efforts are underway, albeit at a pace that has exposed many fragile communities to a particularly harsh winter spent inside tents. Did you know it actually snows in the High Atlas Mountains? Ideally, the locals would have returned to rebuilt villages, but the journey has been challenging – particularly in navigating bureaucratic hurdles and decision delays. What shines through these difficulties is the unwavering determination of the people of the High Atlas, a testament to their resilience and strength.

A surge in Moroccan tourism

Despite the challenges to rebuild after the earthquake struck Morocco, it has been inspiring to see many businesses resume operations very quickly, signalling a return to normality. Soon after the earthquake, there was a surge in internal tourism . This stands as a kind testament to the Moroccan people, who did not let the earthquake deter them from enjoying their beautiful country and supporting local communities in the High Atlas.

Where can visitors explore after the earthquake?

Regional tourism promoters worked tirelessly to reassure travellers that visiting the Marrakech area was safe . Despite the earthquake, there was actually a 7% increase in international visitors in September 2023 compared to the same period last year.

In the High Atlas Mountains, we continue to work closely with our local partners to ensure our trips continue smoothly. Not everywhere was affected by the earthquake, and recently we have taken our clients to places like Imlil , Ouirgane , and even the top of Mount Toubkal , delivering the same Epic experiences we always have.

Where did the aid go?

On the aid front, I’m happy to share that most of the projects Epic supported and contributed to in the aftermath of the earthquake catastrophe have had a significant and positive impact on local communities in the High Atlas of Morocco. These projects have provided immediate relief and a glimmer of hope to the local population amidst the devastation, underscoring the value and effectiveness of our collective efforts.

At Epic, we wanted to maintain our commitment to the region. This is why we gathered a few partners, hiked to one of the affected communities in Al Haouz , and co-organised a beautiful give-back day in which we distributed winter packs to help the families endure the cold nights in the mountains. We also contributed to building part of the village’s gîte . This local guesthouse will provide work opportunities for this village.

Once again, I want to thank each of you who has contributed to the recovery efforts thus far. Your generosity and compassion have made a tangible and meaningful impact. If you wish to continue your contribution, join us in our continuous support of one of the non-profit organisations in the region that we trust, Afoulki Pour Les Femmes , helping them further their crucial work in providing direct help to the isolated communities in Al Haouz.   

Hope for the future

Looking ahead, there’s still much work to be done rebuilding after the earthquake in the High Altas, but there’s also reason to be optimistic. The journey to recovery may be long and arduous. Still, with continued solidarity and perseverance, we can rebuild stronger than before . As we navigate the path forward, we will keep our commitment to supporting the people of Al Haouz through our work and continuous support. After all, they have been a big part of the spirit of what we do and who we are.

Nuno Veloso – Head of Sustainability & Community

Nuno leads our community and sustainability commitments, considering the positive impact that Epic can have by giving back to local communities and managing the environmental and social impact of travel. Based in Morocco, Nuno has years of experience consulting with impact-driven organisations internationally, helping them create and implement strong, forward-looking plans. Nuno works closely with communities in Morocco and has the most up-to-date knowledge of the earthquake’s impact on the High Atlas Mountains, which struck in September 2023.

If you’d like to plan a trip to the High Atlas Mountains or other parts of Morocco, reach out to our team at [email protected]

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Quake tourism slump could cut lifeline to Morocco’s mountain villages

In the aftermath of the earthquake that left more than 2,900 people dead in Morocco, many there who rely on tourism fear for their livelihoods.

The Sept. 8 quake damaged historic sites in Marrakesh, the country’s fourth-largest city, but the effects have been most acute in the High Atlas Mountains, in devastated villages closer to the epicenter.

Before the coronavirus hit, tourism accounted for more than 7 percent of Morocco’s gross domestic product. Nearly 13 million tourists visited Morocco in 2019, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Those figures dropped steeply as the pandemic shut down global travel, but Morocco had projected a full recovery in 2023. The earthquake could throw off those plans.

After the twin earthquakes in February that left nearly 60,000 people dead in Turkey and Syria, the Turkish tourism sector was slow to recover .

Traveling to Morocco? What to know about earthquake’s impact.

Marrakesh, the largest city affected by Morocco’s quake, has been a hub and waypoint for travelers in the region for nearly 1,000 years. The labyrinthine medina — the market streets that make up a large portion of the walled old city — is listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, the U.N. cultural organization.

The main gathering place, Jemaa el-Fnaa, reportedly the busiest square in Africa, is thronged year-round with visitors, fruit sellers, grilled-meat vendors and street musicians, who maintain a buzzing, carnival-like atmosphere late into the night.

How rigid government, state neglect hobbled Morocco’s earthquake response

While the modern parts of the city fared relatively well in the quake, some structures in the old city sustained major damage.

The Kharbouch Mosque, near the center of the medina, is crumbling.

“I was able to visit the medina of Marrakech to see the damage to this UNESCO World Heritage site,” Éric Falt, the director of the UNESCO office for North Africa, based in Rabat, Morocco, wrote on Instagram. “They are much more significant than expected.”

“First there are major cracks on the minaret of the Koutoubia, the most emblematic structure, but we can also see the almost complete destruction of the minaret of the Kharbouch mosque on Jama El Fnaa square,” he wrote. “The city walls are also damaged in many places. The most obviously affected district is however the Mellah (former Jewish district) where the destruction of old houses is the most spectacular.”

But fears over the impact on tourism are not limited to the city, where, in large part, life continues as normal after the quake. The communities hit hardest — small villages in the High Atlas south of Marrakesh, where most homes are still built in a traditional Berber style with clay bricks — also depend on income from hikers and other visitors, drawn to their scenic, rugged landscapes.

In Morocco’s quake-decimated villages, rescuers find only bodies

“While most tourists may know about famous monuments in large cities, smaller villages contain their own monuments that have suffered from marginalization for decades,” Brahim El Guabli, an associate professor of Arabic studies at Williams College, told the Associated Press. “The entire Moroccan High Atlas is strewn with important historical monuments.”

Although the mountain towns see only a fraction of the tourist traffic that flows through Morocco’s major cities, the region is dotted with ancient mosques and ruins, hiking trails and national parks. People who have lost homes and loved ones in the earthquake must now worry about how to earn a living.

“The tourism sector in Marrakesh will suffer for months, while the surrounding areas will require years of rehabilitation,” said Rachid Aourraz, a Morocco-based nonresident senior scholar at the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank.

“I think the development model pursued in the region must be reconsidered,” he said. “Relying solely on tourism is illogical. Economic activity must be diversified to avoid stagnation caused by the collapse of the tourism sector during crises.”

Morocco’s government on Thursday announced a plan to provide rebuilding funds to people whose homes were destroyed. Intissar Fakir, director of the North Africa and Sahel program at the Middle East Institute, said she hoped to see these “reasonable promises” introduce “some degree of oversight” over building standards.

In a region where impoverished villages — accessible only by unpaved, winding roads — see limited government services and rely on small-scale agriculture, even a trickle of visitors can be a vital source of income.

“Some of these villages exist almost exclusively because of tourism,” said Graham H. Cornwell, a historian of the Middle East and North Africa at George Washington University. “A lot of the economic impact is going to be invisible in places that double as homes and businesses — maybe a small cafe on a terrace outside of the house, paying all in cash. It’s impossible to quantify.”

Many villagers — especially men, Cornwell said — travel to Marrakesh to work in the tourism industry, some in the informal economy.

“It will be very difficult for the next year,” said Mostafa Ait Salah, from the village of Oued Azadene, who works as a manager at Chez Momo II, a small hotel in the town of Ouirgane. “I don’t know if we will still have our jobs or not.” The hotel was damaged in the quake.

“We are still alive. We are not leaving our town,” he said. “We are serious about taking care of our people, but we need help, from people around the world.”

In the coming weeks, he said, those out of jobs in tourism will try to rebuild houses.

Authorities do not recommend traveling to places still recovering from an earthquake, and experts have warned travelers not to add to the country’s burdens. Many areas are closed off to tourists. The U.S. Embassy in Morocco advises visitors to avoid affected locations and remain conscious that “hospitals and resources in the most affected areas may become strained.”

Akim Elanbassi, the owner of Morocco Travel Agency , who told The Washington Post he felt the quake rattle the walls of his hotel room in Morocco’s Ourika Valley before fleeing to Marrakesh, said many villages in the High Atlas far from the epicenter remain unaffected and would continue to welcome visitors.

Cornwell suggested that tourists take their cues from local businesses in hard-hit towns, which may remain closed for some time.

The country’s tourism office did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the plan for recovery, or how visitors should adjust their travel plans.

“After a disaster like this, the most important thing is to preserve human lives,” Falt wrote. “But we must also immediately plan for the second phase, which will include the reconstruction of schools and cultural property affected by the earthquake.”

Visiting Morocco after the earthquake showed this traveller the power of travel

When Craig heard the news that an earthquake had struck Morocco just a week before he was due to travel there, he questioned whether going ahead with his trip was the right thing to do.  

Craig Sharpe and his wife Sadie had always wanted to visit Morocco to see Marrakech and visit the Sahara especially. So back in January 2023, they put the wheels in motion and booked Intrepid’s 13-day Morocco Uncovered trip for mid-September.  

On the morning of September 9th, Craig woke up at home in Cornwall, England, to a message from a friend with a link to a news report of an overnight earthquake in Morocco. The 6.8-magnitude quake had damaged buildings in Marrakech and destroyed rural villages, killing nearly 3000 people.  

Craig flipped on the TV to learn more and was immediately struck with feelings of sadness for the people of Morocco , but he also felt a sense of uncertainty and unease. With his trip only a week away, would it go ahead? Should it? 

‘I reached out to a few Morocco travel Facebook groups to get some perspective on whether it was the right time to travel to a country that was experiencing such loss,’ he says. ‘The general consensus was that not travelling could be damaging to the economy and the livelihoods of the Moroccans that work in the tourism industry.’

Morocco has just faced a natural disaster – we don’t want to follow it with an economic disaster. If tourism dries up in Morocco, it will be catastrophic.

The team at Intrepid felt much the same way. After confirming that the more than 770 travellers, guides and staff on the ground were safe, Intrepid made the decision to cancel trips for four days. They worked to understand the scope of the quake’s damage, while also navigating a deep understanding of the vital role tourism plays in Morocco.  

As Intrepid leader Brahim Hanaoui told Adventure.com , ‘Morocco has just faced a natural disaster – we don’t want to follow it with an economic disaster. If tourism dries up in Morocco, it will be catastrophic.’

The impact of the earthquake was quite localised, with much of the damage in the High Atlas Region. The Intrepid team in Morocco rerouted trips where necessary and the majority resumed on September 13th.  

Craig and Sadie landed at the airport in Marrakech on the 17th and hopped onto a private transfer to Casablanca to start their trip. That evening, they met their leader Balmekki (Mekki for short) and their fellow travellers who hailed from the United States and Australia.  

Mekki explained that the only modification to their itinerary would be a change to their accommodation in Marrakech at the end of the trip. Because the riad originally booked was in an area of the city’s medina that had experienced some damage, the group was moved to a hotel outside the medina while the riad was being assessed.  

From Casablanca, they travelled through Meknes, Chefchauouen, Fes and into the Sahara. Along the way, they witnessed how daily life was moving forward. In Chefchauouen, Mekki led the group through the blue-washed medina before Craig and Sadie capped their evening watching the sunset from their hotel balcony as a call to prayer rang out. In the Sahara, the group travelled by camel to a campsite where they slept under the stars. ‘It’s these experiences that make me want to travel,’ Craig reflects.  

Everywhere they went, the group’s trip leader made all the difference. ‘Mekki was everything you want from a leader – patient, passionate and funny. He was able to adapt the tour to add in extra experiences through personal contacts of his,’ Craig explains.  

‘As Mekki was originally from a nomadic family, we got an opportunity to visit a nomadic woman who showed us around her home in the Middle Atlas Mountains. Mekki was even happy to share personal stories about his life.’ Craig adds that at a time when we need to understand and connect with the people of Morocco, these experiences were invaluable.  

Craig says he didn’t see the impact of the earthquake until they travelled across the Atlas Mountains past damaged villages and displaced residents living in temporary tents. This is the area where two partners of The Intrepid Foundation are working to provide relief, funded in part by the generous donations of Intrepid travellers.  

Within 12 hours of the foundation launching an appeal for funds to support these groups, donors had contributed over $100,000 AUD, which Intrepid matched dollar-for-dollar. At the time of publication, that total had surpassed half a million dollars, much of it coming from past travellers to the country whose own experiences there, similar to Craig’s, compelled them to contribute. All of these funds are being directed to Education for All and the High Atlas Foundation , non-profits providing food, shelter, water, communications and medical support to affected communities. 

As Craig’s trip drew to a close in Marrakech, he says that while the impact of the earthquake could be felt, the city still buzzed. ‘Djemaa el-Fnaa came alive in the evening,’ he recalls of the medina’s main square. 

In the end, did he feel it was right to go ahead with his trip? 

‘Our decision to travel to Morocco was absolutely the right one,’ he says. ‘Everyone was welcoming and happy to share their country with us.’

Thousands of Moroccans rely on tourism to make a living, and by not visiting Morocco, these are the people that will suffer. Please go. Enjoy everything Morocco has to offer: stunning landscapes, amazing architecture, delicious food and genuinely welcoming people.’

Craig travelled on Intrepid’s 13-day Morocco Uncovered trip, one of over 30 trips in Morocco . To learn more about itinerary adjustments in Morocco, view our Travel Alerts . The Intrepid Foundation continues to raise funds to support the relief efforts of their partners on the ground. If you can, donate now .  

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Heather Kang

Heather Kang is Intrepid's global content manager and lives in the forest in Canada with her husband, two kids and two cats. She has visited over 35 countries but still likes Canada the most.

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Heba Saleh in Cairo

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Rescuers combed through collapsed buildings in mountain villages in Morocco’s High Atlas region on Sunday as they searched for survivors of an earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people.

Aid workers said the next two days would be critical after the 6.8 magnitude quake struck on Friday night, damaging parts of the ancient city of Marrakech and devastating villages in a mountainous region of the kingdom.

Many houses in rural areas are built in the traditional adobe style of dry mud and could not withstand the most powerful quake to hit the north African kingdom in 120 years.

“The priority is to try to reach those under the rubble who we know to be still alive,” said Caroline Holt, head of operations at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “The next 24 to 48 hours will be critical in terms of saving lives. Search and rescue efforts will be prioritised in parallel, of course, with making sure that those that we know have survived are taken care of.”

Holt added that the death toll — which stood at 2,122 on Sunday — was expected to rise because rescuers were struggling to reach remote villages as mountain roads had been blocked by rockfalls triggered by the quake.

The epicentre was about 72km south-west of Marrakech, which is Morocco’s top tourist destination.

Across the affected area, including Marrakech, people slept in the open for fear of aftershocks. Some were afraid to return to houses that were still standing but had been damaged or cracked by the tremor and could collapse.

Mokhfi Abdul Jalil, a Marrakech resident, described how he rushed back to his house after the quake struck. He found the roof had fallen on to his car and destroyed it. “This has happened to me and two of my neighbours. Since then we have been camping out in a public garden.”

Alice Morrison, a writer who lives in the High Atlas village of Imlil, 67 kms from Marrakech, said she and her neighbours spent the night in tents in a car park. Only one person in the village was killed, but many houses were damaged and the electricity supply had been cut.

“I think that everything that has been cracked will fall down and that is what I personally fear. One of the small shops in our village has been cut in half,” Morrison said. “What we observed is that most of the houses built of clay have been badly affected, but concrete ones have not been so badly damaged.”

In a neighbouring village, a family of five were killed when their house collapsed, she added.

Morrison described huge boulders “the size of a lorry” preventing access by cars to the village.

“I went on a 16 kilometre bike ride, and I saw destroyed villages on both sides of the road,” she said. “What worries me is the situation in the tiny villages that you can only reach by foot or by mule further up the mountain and in the next valley. We saw a government helicopter so maybe they are doing reconnaissance.”

King Mohammed VI, Morocco’s ruler instructed senior officials on Saturday to set up a committee tasked with emergency reconstruction and rehabilitation of damaged homes, and to provide aid and shelter to survivors. He also decreed three days of national mourning.

Large quakes are rare in Morocco, but in 1960 more than 12,000 people were killed by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Agadir in the country’s western coastal region.  

The IFRC has already disbursed SFr1mn ($1.12mn) to the Moroccan Red Crescent so that work could get under way immediately to support survivors, help the hundreds of people injured and provide basic food and clean water to survivors, said Holt.

The organisation said it would take “months if not years of response” to deal with the impact of the tremor on the lives of those who have lost homes and loved ones.

Morocco has received offers of support and specialised rescue teams from France, Israel, Tunisia, Spain, Kuwait, Turkey and Taiwan.

Even regional rival Algeria, which broke off ties with Rabat two years ago, has said it was ready to provide humanitarian support if requested by Morocco. It said it was also prepared to open its airspace, now closed to Moroccan planes, for humanitarian and medical flights.

Before the quake, Moroccan tourism was on track to have its best year on record with 14mn visitors expected by the end of 2023, but authorities will be concerned the earthquake will put off visitors.

James Wix, director of Le Farnatchi hotel in Marrakech, said the damage in the city “is less than first feared”, but added that news of the earthquake had already spurred booking cancellations.

He said he has been told the government would dispatch engineers to test the structural soundness of buildings hosting tourists. Wix added that while there was damage to some buildings in Marrakech’s old city, it was not in a “desperate situation”.

“The infrastructure is good,” he said. “We have good electricity and the phones are working,” Wix said. “So when the dust settles, hotels will still be open, the gardens will be there and the beautiful monuments will still be standing and there to be photographed.”

Additional reporting by Samir Daoudi in Marrakech

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

As Morocco is hit by a devastating earthquake, is it safe to travel to Marrakech? Latest travel news

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More than 2,000 people have died after a rare, devastating earthquake struck Morocco late on Friday, September 8 – reducing some buildings in Marrakech to rubble .

Residents of Marrakech – the closest big city to the epicentre – said some buildings had collapsed in the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, while Moroccan TV showed pictures of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.

Morocco’s geophysical centre said the quake struck in the Ighil area of the High Atlas, with a magnitude of 7.2 – with the US Geological Survey putting its magnitude at 6.8.

The quake is the deadliest in the country since a 2004 tremor in Al Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains, which killed over 600 people.

Marrakech is of course a popular destination for tourists and other visitors – but in the wake of the tragedy, is it safe to visit?

Is it safe to visit Marrakech?

At the time of writing, the Foreign Office (FCDO) has not advised against travel to Morocco or Marrakech.

The advice, written on Saturday, September 9 (and still correct as of Monday, September 11) , reads: ‘An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck Morocco near Marrakesh.

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‘Further aftershocks are possible. You should follow the advice of local authorities, and follow local media.’

It added: ‘All Moroccan airports are open and flights to and from the UK are operating normally, with some airlines laying on additional seats for travellers wishing to return to the UK earlier than planned.

‘Travellers wishing to change their flight plans should liaise direct with their tour operators or airline companies.

‘If you are planning to travel to Morocco imminently we advise you check with your accommodation provider / tour operator to confirm arrangements before departure in case of disruption or damage resulting from the earthquake.’

Marrakech Airport reportedly remains open and flights are continuing to take off and land as normal.

A number of flights from airlines including British Airways from Heathrow, easyJet from Gatwick, WizzAir from Gatwick and Ryanair from Manchester and Stansted were set to operate as normal as of Saturday.

As the FCDO advises, anyone who does have a trip to Morocco booked in the coming days should keep an eye on developments and contact their airline to confirm the flight is still going ahead.

Easyjet offered advice to customers at the weekend, saying: ‘The airports are open and our schedule to Morocco is operating as normal today, but we advise any customers travelling to check the status of their flight on our Flight Tracker or via the app.

‘Customers scheduled to travel to or from Morocco who wish to discuss their booking should contact our customer service team.’

Can I fly home if I’m already in Marrakech?

If you do decide to leave Morocco earlier than planned, you should contact your airline or tour operator to discuss this – as seats on earlier flights may still be available.

However, as current advice has not been to leave the country or not travel, it’s not clear whether you would be offered a refund in this instance, or be able to claim on your travel insurance.

MORE : More than 2,000 killed after rare and powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits Morocco

MORE : Morocco’s worst earthquake in 120 years has left thousands dead – map shows where it hit and how far it spread

MORE : ‘My dad, my mum, my sister, my brothers – all of them died in the earthquake’

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September 9, 2023 Earthquake hits Morocco

By Chris Lau, Seán Federico O'Murchú, Andrew Raine , Adrienne Vogt and Matt Meyer , CNN

Earthquake damages historic walls of Marrakech

From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq

The earthquake has damaged parts of Marrakech's historic walls, according to the country's state-run Al Aoula TV.

The walls are a set of defensive ramparts that enclose the historic medina districts of Marrakech and were first laid out in the early 12th century.

Morocco's Interior Ministry urges people not to panic

Morocco's Interior Ministry on Saturday urged people to keep calm and to "avoid panic."

In a speech broadcast on state media, Rashid Al-Khalfi, the general secretary of Internal Affairs at the ministry, said the government has already activated all resources available to deal with the tragedy.

Hundreds dead after quake strikes Morocco, state TV reports

From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq 

At least 296 people have been killed, and more than 150 wounded after an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 hit Morocco on Friday night, state-run Al-Aoula television reported on Saturday.

Multiple buildings collapse near quake epicenter, Morocco TV shows

From CNN's Sharif Paget and Mohammed Tawfeeq

Multiple buildings collapsed following Friday night's quake southwest of Marrakech city in Morocco, footage aired by the state-run Al-Aoula TV station showed.

Thousands of people fled their houses and residential buildings after the country's National Institute of Geophysics warned of aftershocks.

The epicenter of the quake was in the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province of the Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz region of Morocco.

Quake epicenter was in High Atlas mountains, US Geological Survey says

The quake struck shortly after 11 p.m. local time at a relatively shallow depth of 18.5 kilometers (11.4 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicenter was in the High Atlas mountains located about 72 kilometers (44.7 miles) southwest of Marrakech, a city of some 840,000 people and a popular tourist destination.

“Earthquakes of this size in the region are uncommon, but not unexpected. Since 1900, there have been no earthquakes M6 (magnitude 6) and larger within 500 km of this earthquake, and only nine M5 (magnitude 5) and larger earthquakes,” USGS said.

The US body predicted that “significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread”, noting that many people in the area reside in structures that are “highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking.”

Here's how earthquakes are measured

From CNN's Jennifer Gray

Measuring earthquakes is no easy task, given they strike suddenly and sometimes at global scale.

When the Earth’s crust shifts abruptly, an earthquake occurs, with energy radiated out as seismic waves and shaking that’s sometimes experienced by people, buildings and infrastructure.

Seismic waves and factors related to the shifting ground determine an earthquake’s  magnitude , as measured through 10 on the scale most commonly used to describe quakes.

How strong the shaking feels is an earthquake’s  intensity , as measured on a scale that uses Roman numerals to assign categories based on assessed damage and people’s observations.

Here’s what the scales indicate:

Scientists largely use the moment magnitude scale to categorize earthquakes’ strength and size in a way that’s more accurate than the long-used Richter scale, the  US Geological Survey says .

This moment magnitude scale is based on the earthquake’s “seismic moment,” which accounts for how far the Earth’s crust shifts in a quake, the size of the area along the crustal crack and the force required to overcome friction at that spot, along with the seismic waves the shift creates.

The moment magnitude will be larger if there is more friction and shifting across a longer distance. Seismic waves are measured by seismometers, which use a pendulum attached to a spring that moves with the shaking of the Earth, generating a kind of graph called a seismogram.

Magnitude is ranked through 10, with each whole-number increase equal to 32 times more energy released.

You can read more here

Here are some of the world's deadliest earthquakes

From CNN staff

Earthquakes  occur on every continent in the world – from the highest peaks in the Himalayan Mountains to the lowest valleys, like the Dead Sea, to the bitterly cold regions of Antarctica. However, the distribution of these quakes is not random.

The USGS describes an earthquake as “the ground shaking caused by a sudden slip on a fault. Stresses in the earth’s outer layer push the sides of the fault together. Stress builds up and the rocks slip suddenly, releasing energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust and cause the shaking that we feel during an earthquake.”

The 7.8 magnitude quake that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this year was one of the deadliest of this century, killing at least 50,000 people, according to authorities.

The worst of the 21st century was in Haiti in 2010 when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake is estimated to have killed between 220,000 to 300,000. A further 300,000 people were injured, and millions were displaced.

Read more about the world's deadliest quakes

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Is it safe to visit Morocco? Latest travel advice

F ollowing the outbreak of war in Israel and Gaza and the recent escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, some people may be concerned about the safety of travelling to Morocco or other areas in North Africa and the Middle East right now.

Here’s everything you need to know about travel to Morocco, whether it is safe to visit, and your rights if you do decide to cancel your upcoming holiday.

What does the FCDO say about travel to Morocco?

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not issued any blanket advisories against travel to Morocco. This means that travel insurance will be valid when visiting the country.

However, the FCDO has updated its advice to say: “On 13 April 2024 Iran carried out military action against Israel. On 19 April, there have been reports of explosions in Iran, and unconfirmed reports of explosions in Syria and Iraq. Monitor this travel advice and other media as the situation is changing fast. Follow and contact FCDO travel on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram . You can also get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.”

You can see the full Morocco FCDO advice here .

Are flights still operating as usual to Morocco?

Yes. Flights from the UK to Morocco do not go in the vicinity of the Middle East. Morocco is 2,500 miles away from Tel Aviv as the crow flies. By way of comparison, London is closer: 2,200 miles from Israel. So geographical proximity alone should not be a consideration for any upcoming travel plans.

Is Morocco impacted by the Israel-Hamas war?

To date Morocco has not been impacted by the conflict, although large-scale pro-Palestine marches have taken place in the country. The FCDO warns: “There is currently a heightened chance of demonstrations and protests occurring across the country. You should avoid these gatherings, and be aware of the potential for protests to occur spontaneously. Protests can happen at short notice and are generally heavily policed. Demonstrations are mostly peaceful but there has been isolated violence. Demonstrations and protests may lead to increased travel disruption in affected areas.”

Is Morocco still recovering from the 2023 earthquake?

On September 8, 2023, a 6.8–6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Marrakesh–Safi region of Morocco. The epicentre was 45 miles (73km) southwest of Marrakesh, near the small town of Ighil and the Oukaïmeden ski resort in the Atlas Mountains.

Some 3,000 people were killed and more than 6.6 million Moroccans were affected by the earthquake, according to the Moroccan government.

There was considerable devastation across the remote mountain communities of the Atlas Mountains, and Marrakech, a city popular among tourists, experienced significant damage including building collapses. In some parts of the country the rebuilding process continues, but Marrakech’s airport is open and the country is very much open for tourism once again.

On the subject of earthquakes in Morocco, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says: “Morocco is in an earthquake zone. Minor earthquakes happen occasionally. The last major earthquake was in 2023, which killed almost 3000 people. Familiarise yourself with safety procedures in the event of an earthquake and take note of any instructions in hotel rooms.”

Is terrorism a risk in Morocco?

In 2018, two tourists were murdered while hiking near Mount Toubkal, and the FCDO advises: “Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Morocco.”

The FCDO adds: “There is an increased threat linked to the number of Moroccans sympathetic or belonging to Daesh (formerly ISIL) and other extremist groups. Authorities regularly disrupt terrorist cells.”

Places at higher risk include crowded areas, government installations, transportation networks, businesses with Western interest, and areas where foreign nationals and tourists are known to gather.

“Be vigilant in these areas and follow any specific advice of the local security authorities,” the FCDO adds.

What if I want to cancel my holiday?

If you have booked a package holiday to Morocco and want to cancel your trip for any reason, contact your tour operator and they might offer flexibility with alternative dates. 

But bear in mind that, because the Foreign Office has not issued any formal advice against travel to Turkey, there is no guarantee you will receive a refund, nor will you be able to claim money back with your travel insurance company.

If you have booked flights and accommodation independently, and wish to cancel your holiday, contact your travel providers as soon as possible to see if you can rearrange your plans. Note, however, that given the circumstances, it is unlikely you will receive a full refund.

This story was first published in October 2023 and has been revised and updated.

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Turkey Earthquake Trial Opens Amid Anger and Tears

More than 300 people were killed when temblors toppled an upscale residential complex. Survivors hope a court will punish the men who built it.

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By Safak Timur and Ben Hubbard

Safak Timur reported from the courtroom in Antakya, Turkey, and Ben Hubbard from Istanbul.

The families addressed the court one by one, sobbing as they spoke the names of relatives who had been killed when their upscale apartment complex in southern Turkey toppled over during a powerful earthquake last year.

One woman, whose son had died in the collapse alongside his wife and their 3-year-old son, lashed out at the defendants — the men who had built the complex and the inspectors charged with ensuring that it was safe.

“Shame on you,” said the woman, Remziye Bozdemir. “Your children are alive, mine are dead.”

The hearing on Thursday was the first aimed at seeking accountability for the collapse of Renaissance Residence, one of the most catastrophic building failures during the earthquakes of Feb. 6, 2023 , which damaged hundreds of thousands of structures and killed more than 53,000 people across southern Turkey.

More than 300 people died inside Renaissance, and many more were wounded. An investigation and forensic analysis by The New York Times found that a tragic combination of poor design and minimal oversight had left the building vulnerable, ultimately causing its 13 stories to smash into the earth.

Since the quakes, the anger of many survivors has centered on the lax construction practices that allowed so many defective buildings to rise across a region with a history of powerful temblors. When the ground shook last year, many structures became death traps, pancaking down on their residents and killing them instantly or trapping them alive inside the rubble .

In recent months, Turkish courts have begun hearing cases seeking to assign responsibility for the deadly collapses. The Renaissance trial is one such case, which illustrates what victims’ advocates say are the limits of post-quake justice.

Eight men — four from the construction company and four employees of a private building-inspection firm — stand accused of causing foreseeable death and injury through negligence for their roles in the construction of the complex. All eight have pleaded not guilty.

Missing from the case are any of the numerous public officials who allowed the complex to be built by zoning the land, approving building plans and issuing construction permits, together failing to ensure that the project had been constructed to withstand violent quakes.

This scrutiny of private builders but not of public officials has marred efforts to ensure accountability across the quake zone, said Emma Sinclair-Webb, the Turkey director for Human Rights Watch.

“Contractors can be cowboy builders, building defective buildings, but what about the enabling environment in which they operate and the public authorities that turn a blind eye and let them go ahead?” she said.

Complicating efforts to hold such officials accountable is a Turkish law that prevents prosecutors from investigating state employees without obtaining government permission.

It remains unclear whether any public officials are on trial in earthquake-related cases.

In January, Human Rights Watch and Citizens’ Assembly , a Turkish rights group, filed requests in dozens of jurisdictions seeking information about how many requests to investigate public officials had been made and how many had been granted. Their queries turned up four instances in which decisions were pending and three in which permission to investigate had been granted, although two of those had been appealed, the groups said in a report last month.

Most jurisdictions declined to respond, citing confidentiality regulations.

This diminishes the chances for true accountability, Ms. Sinclair-Webb said.

“The full facts are not really there to be looked at if the public officials are left out of the picture,” she said.

Renaissance Residence rose on a patch of converted agricultural land near the ancient city of Antakya during a construction boom that was sweeping through the area in the 2010s, fueled by the plans of Turkey’s leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for development and economic growth. By the time residents arrived in 2013, the three apartment towers, superficially joined to appear as one long, thin building, loomed over the countryside.

The complex catered to the area’s rising middle class, with a pool, underground parking and a lobby designed to mimic that of a hotel. Many early occupants considered themselves lucky to live there.

But The Times’s investigation found that, despite its air of glamour, Renaissance was rife with risky design choices that were cast in concrete with minimal oversight, leaving the structure ill prepared to withstand a powerful earthquake.

The first such quake stuck last year, with a magnitude of 7.8, followed by a second powerful temblor hours later. The first quake caused the ground floor of Renaissance to fail, making the building topple on its side and destroying many of its residents’ lives.

Cemile Incili, 59, a real estate agent who attended the hearing on Thursday, said she had survived the collapse with some injuries but had been able to hear her nephew trapped in the rubble.

“Aunt, I can’t breathe,” she recalled him saying.

His body, and that of a sister of Ms. Incili, were never recovered from the wreckage. She assumes they are dead.

She hoped the trial would mean long sentences for the men who built Renaissance as well as for the officials who allowed the building to rise.

“The state did not protect our lives or our property,” she said.

Court documents say that 269 people have been identified as having been killed in the building and that 46 others are still missing and assumed to be dead.

Prosecutors have charged the eight defendants with conscious negligence that caused multiple deaths and injuries. If convicted, they could face up to 22 years in prison.

The prosecutors have accused the contractors who built Renaissance of failing to follow the building codes in place at the time, using substandard materials and neglecting to ensure that the structure was sound. They have accused the inspectors, who worked for a private company hired by the contractors, of failing to detect flaws that should have been reported to the authorities.

The contractor who was the construction company’s lead architect, Mehmet Yasar Coskun, told the court on Thursday that he rejected the allegations. He blamed the collapse on the exceptional power of the earthquake’s shaking at the site.

“As the foundation of the building was strong, the wave demolished it from the weakest point it could find, the ground floor,” he said. “It is an atypical situation.”

Other defendants, too, said they had followed all the necessary regulations and attributed the collapse to the earthquake’s strength.

Their arguments failed to convince the survivors who attended the hearing.

Hafize Acikgoz, 42, had made it out of Renaissance alive but lost her husband and three children, who were 16, 21 and 23.

“It is just me left behind,” she said, wiping away tears. “Nothing can sooth my pain and nothing can bring them back.”

Still, she hoped that the accused would receive the longest possible sentences.

“Shouldn’t those buildings have been built considering people’s lives?” she said.

Beril Eski contributed reporting from Istanbul.

Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief, covering Turkey and the surrounding region. More about Ben Hubbard

Greece conducts quake drill on tourist island of Crete

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France's foreign minister looks to prevent Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalation in Lebanon visit

France's foreign minister will push proposals to prevent further escalation and a potential war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah during a visit to Lebanon on Sunday as Paris seeks to refine a roadmap that both sides could accept to ease tensions.