#ReseTourism

Dear Traveler, We hope this message finds you well. We understand that the recent earthquake in Morocco has raised concerns about your upcoming trip. However, we urge you to reconsider canceling your reservation and show solidarity with the country during this challenging time.

The Moroccan National Tourist Board is meeting today in Marrakech to welcome the very first tourists who have chosen Morocco for their tourist stay. A very symbolic event that marks the beginning of a revival and the beginning of a recovery. Present for the occasion, Adel El Fakir, Director General of the Moroccan National Tourist Board, stressed “that it was important to us, the Moroccan National Tourist Board but also to the supervisory ministry, RAM, ONDA and professionals. to be there to welcome these tourists and show the world that Morocco is mobilized to welcome its guests and take all necessary steps to safeguard their health and ensure their stay is as smooth as possible. determined to lay the foundation for a gradual and sustainable recovery. " The tourists were warmly welcomed by a guard of honor consisting of officials from ONMT, the Ministry of Tourism, RAM, ONDA and officials from the National Confederation of Tourism. Note that these first arrivals come at a time when many hotel establishments and major international brands from Marrakech as well as from other cities of the Kingdom are reopening their doors and several foreign companies have announced that their connections with Morocco have resumed.

The European Tourism Manifesto alliance, a group of more than 60 public and private travel and tourism organisations and the voice of the sector in Europe, today unveiled a series of joint recommendations for EU Member States on how to relaunch travel and tourism in Europe in time for summer 2021. At the heart of the recommendations is the development of an EU roadmap for restoring travel once countries emerge from national lockdowns to be developed and implemented in close cooperation with industry and social partners. A dedicated Commission Task Force for the restoration of free movement of people would lead the development and implementation of the roadmap – and provide ongoing assessments based on risk and the latest scientific data. The goal would be to identify the conditions and scenarios under which current restrictions to international travel could be loosened and ultimately lifted across Europe and beyond. As a result, the roadmap will need to be agile and updated on a regular basis. The joint recommendations laid out by the European Tourism Manifesto alliance were shared with EU governments ahead of two crucial discussions – a videoconference of the European leaders on 25-26 February and an extraordinary meeting of Tourism Ministers on 1 March. The recommendations call on the Commission-led Task Force to track the progress and impact of ongoing vaccination campaigns as well as mitigation measures such as testing and quarantine, based on risk levels within the EU and internationally. “Our goal is for Europe to return to its place as the leading tourist destination in the world – and a safe one. As EU vaccination programmes progress and protect the most vulnerable citizens, we must jointly prepare for the restart of travel. There is simply no time to lose – preparations on a common approach should begin now, in order to restore public confidence by the summer. Our recommendations detail a joint way forward towards restoring travel & tourism and freedom of movement on behalf of European citizens. We look forward to working with EU leaders to put this plan into action as soon as possible”, state the authors of the paper. A summary of the recommendations to EU Member States includes: 1) Creation of an EU Task Force to restore freedom of movement of people: - A Commission-led Task Force for the restoration of free movement of people, to develop and implement a travel #ReseTourism plan and recovery roadmap. 2) Coordination of travel restrictions: - An improved and effective European coordination of travel restrictions and requirements is urgently needed to facilitate the restart of travel and tourism (9.5% of EU GDP) and offer predictability to travellers as well as to travel and tourism businesses, and their workers. 3) Testing: A harmonised EU framework for travel-related testing should encompass the following: - Members States to ensure affordable testing, sufficient capacity, mutual recognition of tests between Member States and continuous work at international level for the mutual recognition of tests. - Validation of the use of antigen and other rapid tests for travel and tourism purposes1 is urgently needed, alongside regular assessment of the accepted tests as test efficacy improves (LAMP2 for instance). 4) E-Health certificates: EU coordination of national initiatives is urgently needed to avoid having 27 different certificates covering testing, vaccination and/or immunity: - DG SANTE must take the lead and work with DG MOVE and DG GROW on an interoperable European system that would enable a fast and digital verification of travellers’ vaccination and/or test status. - Vaccination, or vaccination certificates, should not be mandatory in order to travel (once vaccination is more widely available), but vaccinated travellers or those with proven immunity should be exempted from entry bans, testing and quarantine restrictions in accordance with the latest scientific insights on the reduced ability of those vaccinated to still spread the virus. 5) Coordinated reopening of tourism activities: Once the health situation allows it, it is crucial to #ReseTourism and leisure activities alongside re-establishing freedom of movement for EU citizens.

It is currently the object of all controversy. The vaccine passport could be set up to allow, in the context of the coronavirus epidemic, vaccinated people to travel abroad without restriction and to enter certain cultural or tourist places. Strongly criticized for the inequalities it risks generating, it is also not recommended by the World Health Organization which considers that currently, the vaccine does not constitute a guarantee of sufficient protection against Covid-19. Some also see the establishment of a vaccination certificate as a roundabout way of making the vaccine compulsory. What is a vaccination passport? This is an official document in paper or digital format certifying that its holder has received the injections of the vaccine against the coronavirus. Also called an immune or health passport or vaccination certificate, it should offer the possibility of traveling abroad and in public places freely, provided that the host country recognizes the validity of the document. This passport could be similar to the international vaccination record, necessary to enter certain countries which require vaccination against yellow fever, for example. The vaccination passport in Europe Considered in some countries, it should make it possible to avoid PCR tests during a trip abroad, quarantine and certificates. Europe is currently working on a vaccination certificate via a standardized digital platform for collecting and exchanging data. But if Hungary, Spain, Portugal or Greece are in favor of this project, France, the Netherlands, Belgium or even Germany consider that it is still too early to consider this process. Thanks to this measure, the head of the Greek government hopes to revive the sector's economy. "For countries like Greece, which depend on tourism, it is imperative that this problem be resolved before the summer season." Vaccination passport: where is it currently implemented? Iceland is one of the first countries to have a vaccination passport in place, on January 21, 2021. "The aim is to facilitate the movement of people between countries, so that individuals can present a certificate of vaccination during border controls and thus be exempted from border restriction measures in accordance with the rules of the country concerned ", explained the Icelandic Ministry of Health. In Denmark, the vaccination passport is called "corona passport". Issued to people who have received two injections of the Covid-19 vaccine, it will not take effect until summer approaches. The document will be necessary to travel abroad, but also to attend sporting and cultural events. "It is absolutely crucial for us to be able to restart Danish society and for companies to get back on track," said Morten Bødskov, Minister of Taxation in Denmark. Like Denmark, Sweden plans to launch its vaccination passport in 3 to 4 months. "When Sweden and neighboring countries start to reopen their companies, it is likely that vaccination certificates will be required for travel and possibly to participate in other activities," Minister Anders Ygeman told a press conference. Swedish Digital Development Agency. Greece was one of the first European countries to issue the request for a standardized vaccination passport. "Even though we are not going to make vaccination compulsory or make it a prerequisite when traveling, those vaccinated should be free to travel," Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek Prime Minister, said in his letter to the European Commission . In the meantime, Greece has entered into a tourism agreement with Israel allowing residents to travel freely between the two countries. In Israel, the plan for a health passport was also announced by the authorities. The holders of the document will be able to circulate freely - provided that the document is recognized by the host country - without risking a quarantine. The vaccination passport will also allow access to tourist, cultural and sporting places. In Seychelles, the vaccination passport has been effective since January 15. It must be accompanied by a negative PCR test to be able to enter the territory. The country plans to vaccinate more than 70% of its population. "From there, we can declare the Seychelles safe in terms of Covid", assured the President of the Republic, Wavel Ramkalawan. The country can then be opened again to all travelers. In Morocco, the Minister of Health, Khalid Aït Taleb explained in December 2020 on the 2M television channel, that a registration system on electronic lists of vaccinated people should be put in place in the coming months. Estonia, in favor of the establishment of a global vaccination passport, is currently working with the WHO to develop a reliable digital passport, recognized worldwide and making it possible to counter all forms of falsification. In Cyprus, Minister of Transport Yiannis Karousos announced in early December that from March 1, 2021, passengers who can show proof of vaccination will be exempt from quarantine restrictions. Georgia does not apply any restrictions to travelers from around the world, provided they have received both injections of the Covid-19 vaccine. In Madeira and Porto Santo, entry conditions are relaxed for travelers able to present proof that they have already had Covid-19 or a vaccination certificate stipulating receipt of the two doses. For other tourists, a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours will be necessary to enter the territory.

Tourism Minister Nadia Fettah held a working session on Wednesday (February 3rd) with Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO General Secretary, who is making his first official visit to Morocco. The two officials signed a letter of intent confirming the Kingdom's and UNWTO's commitment to organizing this global event. "This visit is part of the preparatory work for the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly, which will be held for the first time in our country in Marrakech during the 4th quarter of 2021," said Nadia Fettah. , quoted in a press release. She underlined "the total mobilization of her ministry in concert with the stakeholders concerned for the smooth running of this global tourist event". This working session held between the UNWTO delegation and its Moroccan counterpart was also an opportunity to discuss the state of the tourism sector in Morocco and in the world in the context marked by the crisis linked to Covid 19. For his part, the UNWTO Secretary-General said that the next UNWTO General Assembly "will be historic and that UNWTO will spare no effort to make it one of the most successful post-pandemic events." In this context, he specified that the meeting in Marrakech will be an opportunity to discuss the future of the tourism sector hard hit by the health crisis, and that the member states of the organization and representatives of the private sector will be invited to answer it present. As a reminder, Morocco was elected at the 22nd session of the Assembly held in September 2019 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with a total of 74 votes against respectively 17 and 11 for Kenya and the Philippines.

Moroccan restaurant Palais Ronsard in Marrakech has won the Prix Verssaille for the most beautiful restaurant in the world. announced the organizers. organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union of Architects, the Prix Versailles world award for architectures and designs aims to foster better interaction between the fields of economy and the culture. It also and underlines the role of economic agents of all sectors in enhancing, embellishing, and improving living environments. The competition rewards the most remarkable sustainable development-friendly architecture. Criteria include the chosen architecture’s ability to blend ecological (green economy), social, and cultural (purple economy) dimensions of eco-friendly construction. The competition judge the world’s most eye-catching architectures based on their innovation, creativity, echo to local, natural, and cultural heritage, ecological performance, as well as their potential for promoting social harmony. Categories include Airports, Campuses, Passenger Stations, Sports, Shops, and Stores, Shopping Malls, Hotels, and Restaurants. Out of 94 projects across 38 countries, Morocco’s Palais Ronsard in Marrakech won this year’s e World Finale for the most beautiful restaurant. Located twenty minutes from downtown Marrakech, Palais Ronsard restaurant offers a unique and special experience with its tranquil and beautiful environment at the heart of the city’s historic palm grove.

The new direct connection has been in the works for years. Due to the collapsed demand caused by the corona pandemic, only two trains a day are currently running, and none at the weekend. Because Great Britain does not belong to the Schengen area, special terminals have been built at the stations of Amsterdam and Rotterdam for ticket and ID checks. Travelers are asked to arrive 45 to 60 minutes prior to departure. Great Britain is the fifth country to which train travelers can go directly from Amsterdam. There are also daily trains to Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and France. A trip to Great Britain must be necessary and travelers are required to be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival. After a stay in Great Britain, a home quarantine of 10 days applies in the Netherlands.

All means are good to reassure tourists. The Department of Guardianship has just released a label, "Welcome Safely", which defines the requirements that hotel units must meet to prevent and manage any risk of contamination from Covid-19.