On the night of Friday, September 8th, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Morocco. The earthquake also struck the heart of Morocco’s tourism industry weeks ahead of peak season and just as the sector started recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The North African country’s economy has already shrunk a lot this year. Tourism contributes strongly to Morocco’s economy, along with agriculture and trade with the European Union. However, the earthquake left the crown jewel of Morocco’s tourism industry—the ancient city of Marrakesh’s labyrinthine core called the medina— relatively unscathed.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 12, 2023 17:12 UTC