Wet and Windy Weekend in Morocco

Local rains and strong gusts of wind are expected Friday in several provinces of the Kingdom, says the Directorate of National Meteorology 

Locally strong rains between 40 to 60 mm are expected on Friday from 06H00 to 18H00 the provinces of Chefchaouen, Larache, Ouezzane, Tetuan, Tangier, Fahs-Anjra, Mdieq, Fnideq, Taounat and Taza.

In addition, strong gusts of wind, reaching 85 to 100 km / h, are expected Friday in the provinces of Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Ouezzane, Taounate and Taza and 70 to 85 km / h are expected in Tangier, Fahs-Anjra, Mdieq, Fnideq, Larache, Kenitra, Rabat, Sale, Skhirat, Temara, Casablanca, Mediouna, Mohammedia, Sidi-Kacem, Sidi Slimane, El Hajeb, Sefrou, Ifrane, Boulemane, Meknes, Fez, Moulay Yaakoub, Midelt, Azilal, Al Haouz, Ouarzazat, Figuig, Guercif, Taourirt, Nador, Berkane, Jerada and Oujda.

Snowfalls (10 to 20 cm) are expected on Friday evening and Saturday on the slopes of the upper and middle Atlas from 1,500 m, accompanied by a drop in temperature which will affect the maximum temperatures Saturday (max 01/06 ° C) and the minimum temperatures of Sunday (min -04 / 00 ° C) on the reliefs and the oriental highlands.

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Free Tour in Fez

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FES REACHES THE MILESTONE OF ONE MILLION OVERNIGHT STAYS

The number of tourist nights in accommodation establishments in Fes has reached 1,007,804 overnight stays, during the eleven months of 2018, up 17 pc compared to the same period of the previous year (860,131 nights)

According to the National Observatory of Tourism, the number of arrivals in classified hotels of the city has improved by 18 pc to 539,372 during the same period of 2018. It was of the order of 457,641 at the end of November 2017.

The average length of stay during this period was 2 days, which is the same rate as during the same period of 2017.

This performance of tourist flows to the spiritual capital is due to the rise recorded by the issuing markets, including China, Italy, the USA, Spain, Germany, France and the Netherlands, besides Arab countries.

The last month of November alone saw an increase of 7 pc compared to the same month of 2017, with some 94,804 overnight stays.

In 2017, a total of 947,749 tourist nights were recorded by Fez classified accommodation establishments, confirming the improvement of the tourism sector in the spiritual capital of the Kingdom.

This result represents an increase of 39pc compared to 2016, which recorded 683,052 overnight stays, according to the Observatory.

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Through The Peacock Gate Becomes a Set Text at Fez Uni

Great news! Fez University's department of Arts and Letters has Through The Peacock Gate as a set text for all its students.

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Six Days of Taxi Strike in Fez

Morocco World News  reports on the taxi strike in Fez that is having a huge impact on the city.

Taxi drivers have been protesting since January 17 against the refusal of Fez-Meknes Province to negotiate with taxi drivers’ representatives.

On Sunday, taxi drivers parked their cars along Hassan II Avenue in the centre of Fez to express their anger at “the miserable situation that the city’s taxi drivers are experiencing,” Moroccan media reported.

The drivers are also calling for the province to implement the 2009 Prefectural Decision regulating the circulation of “grand” (shared) taxis in Fez within limited urban areas. The shared taxis, which can carry six passengers and run on specified routes, are invading the urban areas of the city, according to the protestors.

In contrast to “grand” taxis, “petit” (regular) taxis charge higher rates using a meter to drop off no more than three passengers at a time at their exact destination.

According to a statement published by the taxis’ local coordination group in Fez on January 20, “The strike came after fruitless meetings that have been going on for two years without achieving positive results.”

In the statement, the taxi drivers apologised to the city’s inhabitants for the disturbance they caused. They also asserted that they will continue to strike until their demands are met.

Meanwhile, several voices in Fez on social media are reportedly calling for customers to boycott taxis in the city. They are also calling on the security services to control the chaos that the taxis are creating in the city and to set a free phone line to report on violations committed by “petit” taxi drivers.

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Morocco Woos The Finns

It has been rare to meet Finns in the Fez Medina - but that is set to change. At last weeks travel exhibition in Helsinki, the Moroccan pavilion was a hit and Finnish tourists are set to increase in numbers.

Organised annually in January at Messukeskus Helsinki in Finland, the Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the largest travel industry event in Northern Europe. Every year, the fair features 1,000 tour operators, destinations, and tourism service companies from more than 80 countries. In addition to that, more than 50,000 consumers and 20,000 travel industry professionals visit the event.

For the first two days the fair is open only for travel trade professionals to conduct business in various forums. After these two intensive days, the fair opens its doors for the general public to enjoy the international travel atmosphere.

Morocco took part in the 2019 edition of the Matka Nordic Travel Fair as part of intensive efforts targeting Europe's tourism markets and aiming to conquer the Scandinavian market.

Arranged by the Moroccan National Office of Tourism (ONMT), on an area of ​​50 m2, the Moroccan pavilion was designed to inform visitors of the richness and diversity of the tourism of the Kingdom. It offers publications and brochures, both in English and Finnish, to promote many national tourist destinations.

This year, Moroccan participation is marked by the presence of airlines such as Royal Air Maroc and Air Arabia Morocco, in addition to travel agencies Atlas Tours (Agadir), Time Travel (Agadir), Morocco 4 Golf (Marrakech) and Sahara Experience (Marrakesh), in addition to the Finnish GolfTailors agency that participates in this show to promote products of Moroccan craftsmanship.

During the inaugural day of this show and in the presence of Morocco's ambassador to Finland, Mohamed Ariad, the Moroccan exhibition hosted a series of meetings between officials of the ONMT and representatives of the Finnish media.

For the first time in 2018, a direct line between Helsinki and Agadir was set up for a weekly trip operated by the Norwegian airline, in addition to the line already launched last year between Helsinki and Marrakech, because of two weekly flights operated by the same company.

According to the latest data, the number of tourists from the Scandinavian and Baltic countries visiting Morocco was close to 119,000 visitors in 2017.

For 2018, the number of tourists having visited Morocco reached 96,000 visitors at the end of October, showing an increase of 27% compared to the previous year.

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Fez Gathering Opening Tonight

The 4th International Artists Gathering of Fez with the theme - Art and Social Responsibility in the Arab World - opens tonight

''. Initiated by a network of Moroccan and African artists based in Fez, this event will bring together researchers and artists from around the world to explore the role and potential of the arts in the modern world, to highlight the relationship between the arts and social responsibility in the Arab world and celebrate the links between Morocco, the Muslim world and sub-Saharan Africa.

Created in Fez in 2015 by artist-photographer Omar Chennafi, "Fez Gathering" supports local artists by providing them with a space where they can exhibit in the presence of artists and international scholars.

★Opening night★: Thursday, 17 January at 6:30 PM at ALIF Riad 6, Derb Idrissi Skallia Douh, Fez Medina

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Another Cold Weekend in Morocco

The Weather office is forecasting fog and low clouds to sweep the northern coast, and scattered clouds covering the horizons in the rest of the country.The Oriental, the relief, the interior and the southeastern regions in the country will experience low temperatures from morning to night.

Driving conditions will be dangerous

Tangier and the southern provinces will experience moderate to strong blowing sand and dust.

The low temperatures for Saturday range from -7 to 0 degrees Celsius in the eastern highlands and the reliefs; -2 to 01 degrees Celsius in the southeastern regions; 1 to 6 degrees Celsius in Saiss, the Phosphates Plateau, the northern, central, and the northeastern provinces; 5 to 10 degrees Celsius in the Mediterranean, Tangier, north of the southern provinces, northern and central coasts; and 10 to 15 degrees Celsius in the far south.

The high temperatures vary between 8 and 14 degrees Celsius in the Oriental and the reliefs; 14 and 20 degrees Celsius in Saiss, the Mediterranean, the Phosphates Plateau, Souss, the northern, central, and southeastern regions; 18 and 24 degrees Celsius in the southern coast, and north of the southern provinces; and 25 and 30 degrees Celsius in the far south.

The Mediterranean, Atlantic coasts, and the Strait of Gibraltar will experience high sea levels.

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Amazigh New Year: Yennayer 2969

Happy New Year!

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4th International Artists Gathering of Fez

‘’Art and Social Responsibility’’ 4th International Artists Gathering of Fez - 17-20 January 2019 - Exhibitions, Round Tables, Concerts, Workshops

★Opening night★: Thursday, 17 January at 6:30 PM at ALIF Riad 6, Derb Idrissi Skallia Douh, Fez Medina

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Lazywall in Fez on Saturday

Lazywall in Concert! Saturday, 12 January at 7 PM ALIF Riad, 6 Derb Drissi, Batha

Lazywall is one of the most popular and widely acclaimed Moroccan Rock bands in Morocco. The band was formed in 2003 in Reading, England by the three Anegay brothers: Monz, Nao and Youssef, who chose Classic Rock as their main influence. The band later started making a name for themselves and released their first EP “Primal Tapes” in 2006, which was recorded in Chicago with Nirvana's producer Steve Albini. After moving back to Morocco, Lazywall released their first album "Apoptosia” in 2009.

Lazywall gained popularity both nationally and internationally and performed at some of the most prestigious venues and festivals; including SXSW in Austin (USA) and Garorock (France). In Morocco, they performed in “L’boulevard Festival” three times. In 2010, they became the first Rock band to perform live on national TV.

Lazywall discography consists of five albums: "Apoptosia” (2009), "Restart" (2010), “Aporia’s Bane” (2012), “Square Minds in Round Heads” (2015) and "The Hundredth Monkey" (2017)

This concert, presented by the ALC-ALIF Music Club, is free and open to the general public. The Riad is covered and has heaters, so hopefully it won’t be too cold.

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The View From Fez 2019

Regular readers will have noticed that The View From Fez has been out of action for a few weeks - travel, health issues and a lack of WiFi, all contributed to this pause. However, we are now back on deck and wish our readers a very happy 2019!

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