Frustrated tourists have rearranged plans, canceled trips or were left stranded in air conditioned hotel rooms, as scorching temperatures in Morocco jeopardize the heavily summer-reliant tourism sector.
Leila, a German volunteer who arrived in Morocco in the summer of 2023, was taken aback by how hot it was.
“The heat has made my stay a bit harder than anticipated.” The young woman found it difficult to go through the kingdom’s scenery as temperatures increased throughout every Moroccan province, according to Leila’s statement to MoroccoLatestNews.
“Due to the heat, it was difficult to travel by public transportation and see everything.” Despite the unfavorable conditions, she still had the desire to explore this country.
Mohammed Benammar, manager of the tourism company Numidian Morocco Tours and touristic guide explained to MoroccoLatestNews the effect of heat on tourism rates during summer.
“Due to the rising temperature records, there are less visitors and tourists. The number of Europeans, Americans, and global tourists visiting the nation overall has decreased, according to our statistics,” said Benammar.
“Locals use our services more frequently throughout the summer than visitors do because tourists avoid Morocco during this time due to the intense heat.”
Christian, another visitor to Morocco, noted how “hard it was to spend time inside the homes without air conditioning systems” as he visited some of the locals.
The number of visitors crossing borders reached 6.5 million in the first half of 2023, a sharp increase of +92%, or more than 3 million more visitors than during the same time in 2018, according to the Tourism Observatory.
Neither visitors nor residents were deterred by the heat from taking advantage of the season or traveling to their destination. This is also true for Dr. Rowan Martindale, an associate professor at UT Austin who studies extinctions.
“Moroccan fieldwork’s first day. The youngsters handled the heat admirably,” said the professor.
Morocco recorded for the first time temperatures above 50°C in August.
Temperatures exceeded monthly averages by 5 to 13 degrees in the southern and central areas.
July saw the highest global average temperature on record, exceeding previous highs “for all months combined,” according to the European Weather Forecast Centre service.
“Sorry, but this heat in Morocco is something else,” said another tweet.
Visitors sought alternatives and practical methods to make the heat wave more bearable so that they can still enjoy their time in Morocco and their summer vacations, some told MoroccoLatestNews.
These include rearranging holiday plans to coastal cities in Morocco or cities that record lower temperatures.
On days with the highest temperatures, travelers head to beaches and swimming pools.
Some wait until the evening before venturing outside to avoid temperature peaks.