As the country fears for the tourism industry, Morocco’s interior minister has announced that there could be more terror attacks following last week bombing in Marrakech.
The bomb attack which killed 16 people, including 14 foreigners at a cafe in the historic Djemma el Fna square is thought to have been targeted at foreign tourists. Following the attack, Tajeb Cherkaoui has admitted there ‘is a possibility of more dangers to come’ giving way to fears for the tourism industry.
The country has been put on ‘high threat of terrorism’ alert by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and adds that ‘attacks could be indiscriminate. Anyone holidaying to Morroco has been advised to ‘maintain a high level of vigilance’. As the second largest employer in the country, after agriculture, there are fears over the future of the industry and how much of an affect this bombing will have on tourists.
Visitors numbers have grown rapidly over the last decade, and despite the recession visitor number increased by six per cent in 2009. Followed by continued growth in 2010 that saw 9.3 million people visit Morocco and the second sex and the city filmed their further increasing interest around Marrakech. However these attacks will have damaged the thriving industry, but it has yet to be seen how much damage has been done and how long it will take to rebuild trust that will bring the tourists back.
