One of the most popular African nations for tourism is reopening to international travel.
Morocco, which has had a ban on visitors since November 29, 2021 due to the Omicron variant breakout, announced it will reopen to visitors beginning February 7.
The Moroccan government made the decision and announcement but did not provide any details on what the requirements would be for visitors in terms of vaccinations/booster shots or negative tests. It said it would give out that information prior to February 7.
The Independent newspaper, citing data from Morocco's health minister, said Omicron accounted for 70 percent of all COVID-19 cases through January 7.
The newspaper noted that tourism accounts for 19 percent of Morocco's gross domestic product, with visitors especially flocking to the city of Marrakech. But with the ban in place for the last two months, Morocco missed the lucrative Christmas and New Year's window for tourists. Many nations had lifted their bans after just a few weeks.
"We were very optimistic with the arrival of the New Year, but these decisions took us by surprise," said Khalid Moubarak, secretary general of the National Federation of Travel Agencies of Morocco. "We were on the edge of bankruptcy."
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