How You Can Help Morocco

The earthquake severely affected the Atlas Mountains and, to a much lesser extent, the area near Marrakech. The areas of Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Tangier, Chefchaouen, the Sahara desert, and the Agafay desert, are all in normal working order and open for visitors exactly as before. This is important to understand and to communicate with clients who may be under the mistaken impression that the entire country has been seriously hit by the earthquake.

In Marrakech, the main damage was sustained in parts of the historical medina. The monuments located there are closed until at least September 22nd or when the local authorities determine that they are safe to reopen. The rest of the city did not experience much damage and is functioning as normal. Our large hotel partners in Marrakech are all open and functioning normally with no sustained damage. Typical activities in Marrakech, including cooking classes, hot air balloon tours, hammam treatments, shopping tours, visits to the Majorelle Gardens and YSL Museum, and sidecar tours, are all running as normal. With few exceptions, restaurants and shops are open as well.

The single best way you can help Morocco is to convey to travelers with upcoming trips to Morocco that the best way they can stand in solidarity with Morocco is to keep their trips on the books and not to cancel their travel. We understand that travelers may have questions or concerns about traveling to Morocco during this time, and while we are extending our full support and resources to those impacted by the earthquake, it’s also important to understand that tourism is an essential part of Morocco’s economy in general, and the affected regions in particular.

In short, coming to Morocco is the best way to help the country and its people. We encourage all clients not to cancel trips and indeed to consider booking a trip to Morocco if they hadn’t considered it as a destination before. A wave of cancellations or a reduction in travel to Morocco due to the earthquake will only further weaken an economy that is still trying to rebuild post-pandemic.

Should you be interested in supporting Morocco further, please consider donating to one of the funds below shared by our partners for relief and recovery.

• Fondation Orient Occident Fundraiser: The Fondation Orient-Occident, a local NGO, will coordinate with the regional authorities and local associations to help the populations affected by the earthquake through its network of psychologists and humanitarian assistants. Donations can be made via wire transfer to the bank account listed in the linked post.
• Fundraiser for Education for All Boarding Houses: Education for All, an NGO that runs boarding houses for girls from rural families to continue their schooling, faced severe damages from the earthquake. They are fundraising both to repair their boarding houses and for emergency medical supplies and food for the rural communities. Donations can be made via credit card via the above link.
• Banque Alimentaire Fundraiser: The Banque Alimentaire is a local food bank that works to distribute donations to populations in need. The money fundraised will go to providing food and supplies to communities who have been impacted by the earthquake. Donations can be made via credit card via the above link. For reference, ~10 MAD = ~1 USD.

Virgin Limited Edition, together with Virgin Unite and the Eve Branson Foundation, have set up an Emergency Appeal fund to support the Eve Branson Foundation Earthquake Relief Fund, so that they can help the local community on the ground where it is needed most. Both Kasbah Tamadot and the Eve Branson Foundation are part of the fabric of the community, having been in the region for many years; which means we can maximise the impact of every donation direct to those communities around us and mobilise support quickly, both now, and in the months to come.

• An incredible £195,542 has already been raised, but there is a long way to go to ensure the rebuild of these incredible Berber communities and its people. If you would like to donate, please follow this link. Anything you contribute will go straight to those local communities that surround Kasbah Tamadot and the Eve Branson Foundation.

Thank you to our partners Experience Morocco, Alizes Private and Virgin Limited Edition for providing us on the ground information to keep you all updated.