At the same time as the Danish foreign ministry ordered its nationals to avoid travel to 14 Muslim countries in addition to Syria and Lebanon where Danish diplomatic missions were attacked by angry protesters at the weekend in protest against the cartoons published in a Danish newspaper, Danish tour operators are cancelling all trips to Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco after the foreign ministry warned Danish nationals against travelling to Muslim countries. One of the countries listed was Morocco.
It seems a huge over-reaction as Morocco, although angered by the cartoons, remains one of the safest destinations in the world where non-Islamic visitors can experience a vibrant Islamic culture.
The Danish tour operator association (RiD), whose members run 90 percent of all charter flights from Denmark, said flights would be grounded for at least two weeks.
RiD chief Jan Lockhart claimed that if trips are cancelled for the rest of the winter season, which ends March 31, a total of 15,000 tourists would be affected.
Ironically, at the same time Moroccan tourist authorities were heading to Israel to attend a trade faie and meet with Israeli Tourism Minister Abraham Herschson. The 12th International Mediterranean Tourism Fair, being held in Israel, aims to support tourism as well as to strengthen ties between Mediterranean countries. More than 30 countries including Morocco, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Italy, South Africa, India and Thailand will participate in the fair.
Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news
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