The day before a new virus coming from China sounded the UN pandemic alert, prompting countries to close their borders, the Jemaa el-Fnaa square, the nerve center of Marrakech, seemed oblivious to the threat.
Snake charmers, overpriced juice sellers, traders of all kinds of spices and many, many tourists crowded the center of the medina (ancient part of the city, surrounded by walls) of Morocco’s most visited destination.
What came next is nothing new to anyone. But Covid-19 has had a particularly negative impact on the country, one of Africa’s most sought-after tourist destinations, whose hospitality and services sector represents 11% of GDP and 17% of its entire workforce.
The more than 60% reduction in tourism receipts in 2020 was a major factor in Morocco’s recession, the first since 1995. In 2020, the number of tourists dropped 78.5% compared to 2019.
Marrakech should close 2021 with data that are also not very encouraging, which sparked an alert to the government and traders about the need for a new, less massified tourism.
Since 2000, the city started to invest in popularizing tourism as an economic engine. The strategy had an effect: in 2002, 2.2 million tourists visited the city each year. Just before the pandemic, the number went to 7 million.
The New Development Model released in September by King Mohamed 6th to recover the damages of the pandemic emphasizes tourism as strategic, according to data from the World Bank. The sector receives broad public support, with help from entrepreneurs and other professionals.
But as the country has reopened its borders (Brazilians who have been immunized and tested negative have been able to visit Morocco since June), Marrakech remains far from the hordes of tourists, which has led some traders to decide not to reopen its doors yet.
On the other hand, entrepreneurs with cafes, restaurants and art shops focused on more demanding tourists — and with money — have received an important influx of visitors willing to spend more and enjoy the quieter moment in the medina.
For many, it is a return to the very culture of Marrakech, a city taken over by palaces, Nababesque buildings and natural refuges that are not reminiscent of the bustle of the center of the labyrinthine and famous medina.
The Royal Mansour, which opened in 2010, is an example. Owned by the King of Morocco, the hotel is a palatial oasis. Accommodation is in private riads (a kind of mansion). There are also ten hectares of gardens and a marble-covered SPA, which this year won the World Luxury Spa Awards (yes, apparently there is an “Oscar” for them this year).
The hotel bet on luxury to attract well-heeled guests. From an art studio installed in a glass-paneled greenhouse, where ceramics, photography and embroidery can be made, to restaurants with the signature of Michelin-starred chefs, such as the Italian Massimiliano Alajmo and the French Yannick Alléno.
The latter also conducts an exclusive dining experience, which has been dubbed The Nest. Among lemon and palm trees in a structure mounted at five meters high, eight diners eat dishes such as royal gilt ceviche and wagyu loin (most expensive beef in the world) while gazing at the tower of the famous Koutoubia mosque to the sound of a trail created for the occasion.
Recently, the hotel also offers an exclusive tour of the former home of the late master perfumer Serge Lutens, which is not open to the public. Less than 200 people a year visit the so-called Serge Lutens Foundation, and this is the type of experience that has become part of the services provided by concierges in search of offering unique moments to guests.
Rates at Royal Mansour, like other examples of the city’s growing luxury hotel scene (from exclusive La Mamounia to the Mandarin Oriental chain), run into a few hundred dollars. But nothing to deter tourists interested in this new kind of whimsy.
Even individual entrepreneurs decided to bet on the segment. With an eye on a trend that should only increase in the city, boutique hotel El Fenn took advantage of the pandemic to create four new suites, a terrace with a pool area and a bar overlooking the Atlas Mountains. “Marrakech has never been so vibrant,” Howell James, one of the owners, posted on his Instagram account.
New galleries dedicated to Moroccan artifacts and contemporary design also seem to have gained a new lease of life in neighborhoods like Gueliz, which is also home to the newly opened Cmooa (Compagnie Marocaine des Oeuvres et Objets d’Art), an art space that attracts collectors.
Away from the hustle and bustle of Jemaa el-Fnaa, stores like Herboristerie Bab Agnaou and Henné Sahara Tazarine invest in beauty products and spices for those who want authentic local produce — and avoid the counterfeits common in the region’s stalls.
Even traditions seem to take advantage of the flow of more demanding tourists: the ritual of the famous Moroccan tea gained a renewed stage in the modern confectionery Amandine, where French patisserie techniques blend with the roots of Arabic sweets, with puff pastry, honey, rose blossom and nuts.
“I have the impression that the city is refining itself. Customers come here and are impressed with our work”, says, in English, one of the bakery’s attendants.
But not everything is a purchase. The new luxury also involves experiences. Le Jardin Secret, a space that dates back to the Saadian dynasty and recently opened to the public after more than a century, has become one of the most visited places in the city.
This is largely due to the demands of the new tourism, in which a greater connection with nature and environments with less concentration of people seem to be the priority of travelers.
Built from the ruins of a rest palace for Sultan Moulay Abdellah, the space is an oasis of peace in the frantic city. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, Marrakech has been completely different, focusing more and more on luxury tourism, with new hotels and restaurants,” says Brazilian Adriana Bittencourt, who lives in the city and is co-founder of the Bossa Trips travel agency.
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