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[globetrotter911]

Hey guys,
I'm planning a trip to Morocco middle of this month,but i'm a little bit concerned cause of the political tension in North Africa and the Middle East which according to the news include Morocco as well.I’ve seen the news reports about demonstrations and protests in some Moroccan cities .Is it going to be risky for me to travel to Morocco at the moment?
thank you,
Steve

[kathryn77]

Hi Steve,

I've been following this through various sources, as I have a trip booked at the end of March and have the same concerns you've raised.

A friend of mine was in Marrakech at the end of January when troubles kicked off in Egypt. She asked the locals if they thought the same would happen in Morocco, and was told that it's really different there as the government system is different / they have a lot of respect for their king.

Not sure where you're from, but as a British citizen, I've signed up to British Embassy alerts by e-mail (it's really good, you can actually enter details of where you're going and when, so they send you any relevant info by e-mail - I've had nothing about Morocco so far) I'm also following them on Facebook, and they provide regular updates, which have mainly been about Libya - advice on how to get out etc.

I think, from what I've read, if there are any protests in Morocco, they'll be managed better, you'll know where and when they're happening, and you just need to avoid the area at that time. For example, I read on the Thorntree forum that there may be a protest on 20th March, and the advice seems to be to just stay away.

Another thing is, a lot of things can be media hyped, and North Africa is a huge region to group as one. For example, I was in Israel this time last year, and my boyfriends boss rang us to see if we were OK, as news reports stated huge riots in Jerusalem - we saw nothing like that, and that was where we were at the time!

It would be useful if anyone who is there now could contribute to this forum, so hopefully someone will see it and confirm all is ok, as I am really excited about going to Morocco, and I don't want to have to cancel :-( And if you could let us know when you've been as well, that'd be top, as I think you're going before me by the sound of it?!

[globetrotter911]

Thanks for your reply and the valuable informations!i'm definitely starting to feel more assured that Morocco is safe to visit at the moment.
I'll be heading to Morocco on the 14th of this month,and i'm thinking about booking a guided tour,since it will keep me off the hassle and i'll be more secure.
Good luck!
Thanks again

[kathryn77]

Sounds good :-) Please post about your experience there then, as I'll find it really useful to know from you too. If I hear anything else in the meantime, of course I'll post here, Cheers :-)

[africamamia]

hello Guys we have get back from there and it was marvellouse we have used a guided tour too for kept our tour safe untill come back home.
we have used zebraadventures com was wnderful tri you could read my travel report up.
its so safe there and fantastic

[saartha]

Hey there! I'm a American student who has be living in Morocco for the past two years. Good to see that you're keeping up on current events, but don't let it dissuade you from visiting! Like kathryn77 said, the political atmosphere in Morocco is very, very different from that of Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, or any of the other countries currently experiencing revolutions.

There have been protests, especially in Rabat and Casablanca, but they have been orderly and peaceful. I have heard of only one event of police violence against protesters, and that violence did not spread to passers-by or uninvolved civilians.

King Mohammad VI made a very important speech last week, expressing his intent to reform the constitution and address the other concerns the people were protesting about. Since that speech, the various political groups are relaxing and everything is beginning to calm down--not like there was much 'chaos' in the first place.

There is only a very small radical group that is calling for the step-down of the king. The majority of Moroccan citizens are content to remain under the constitutional monarchy, and there hasn't been any backlash against Westerners living in/visiting Morocco.

In other words, there is nothing to worry about. You will be quite safe. ...or, now that I properly read one of your comments and see you are already in Morocco, you are quite safe

[kathryn77]

Thanks v. much Saartha, that is really reassuring :-) Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm really excited about my trip!

[globetrotter911]

Just back from 8 days touring around Morocco – I didn’t feel in danger in any way shape or form.There were some more anti-governments demo while I was there,but they were totally peaceful ones.Morocco is a beautiful and wonderful country. People are friendly (and girls are very pretty!!),scenery is amazing, riads are awesome! it will be a waste and such a pity if anyone cancels his/her trip.No worries kathryn , just come and enjoy it here!!!By using a touring company called Desert flying carpet I was able to visit so many cities and interesting places in a very short period,something that wasn’t going to happen if I was travelling on my own.i highly recommend them .I’ll write a full report about my trip later on.
Cheers

[kathryn77]

Brilliant, thanks Steve! So glad you had a good time. I can't wait to go! Not long now :-D