Crackdown on False Guides in Fez

The tourist police in Fez have been engaged in a major crackdown on the growing phenomenon of the false guides. Since the beginning of 2017, 746 people have been arrested for illegal practice of this profession

Back in the 21st of February 2017 came the announcement that the police forces had arrested more than 400 people. Between 1st January and February 19th last, the brigade of the tourist police in the prefecture of Fez detained 410 people who were operating as guides without permission.

These 410 persons were all recidivists and were placed in preventive detention and their files transferred to the public prosecutor's office.

The crackdown continued and the numbers grew to a total of 746 false guides arrested up until the 31st of March.

These false guides worked without legal authorisation inside and outside the old Medina of Fez.

The vast majority of offenders in the second wave of arrests were (with one exception) not repeat offenders.

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Morocco Publishes List of Official Tourist Guides

In an attempt to curb the spread of false guides the Moroccan authorities have published a list of official tourist guides. The list is available as a download from the internet

However, it is doubtful it will be of much use, as many of the 2,700 names listed go back as far as 1972 and are reportedly no longer in business. There are also no contact details for a guide. It is doubtful that a tourist would have the time or inclination to find a guide then consult the internet in order to verify their status.

The list, which can be downloaded as an Excel CSV format file HERE,  lists the guide's name, the city in which he or she operates and the languages spoken by the individual.

The law governing the profession distinguishes between city guides and those in rural areas. Since 2014 guides need a certificate demonstrating proof of skills acquired in the field and after two years of training.

There appears to be little success in cracking down on the commission system which is a lucrative source of income for official guides. Tourists are warned to insist on "no shopping" in order to overcome the problem of being taken to shops rather than having a cultural experience.

This initiative is part of a broader government desire to secure the tourism sector. The list of approved travel agencies was put online in early January.


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Tourist Police in the Fez Medina - Bouquets and Brickbats

Petty crime in the Medinas of Fez and Marrakech is a relatively small problem, especially in comparison with European or American cities. A bigger problem for tourists has always been the assorted touts and unofficial faux guides who can be annoying. However, in recent years, undercover tourist police in Marrakech and Fes have greatly reduced the problem. But despite the good work of the police there is an ongoing problem which causes embarrasment both to local Moroccans and to tourists.  Ibn Warraq investigates an issue troubling both resident foreigners and locals. 

Fez Tourist Police have made the Medina much safer and tourist friendly

In Fez, local residents both Moroccan and expats have been harassed by police for escorting their friends or guests through the Medina. In extreme cases they have been arrested.

One riad owner I spoke to told of an incident in which her translator was arrested for escorting her to a timber worker at Bab Guissa. 'The police claimed I must have an official guide with me at all times. This is obviously ludicrous as the official guides are busy with tourists and certainly won't drop that lucrative work in order to come with me and the translator on a half-hour excursion for thirty or forty dirhams."

In Suzanna Clarke's A House in Fez, she expresses similar sentiments and frustration when she was told by the Tourist Police that she could not walk through the Medina with her house guardian, Si Mohammed, and that she must always hire an official guide. "I had never heard of anything so ridiculous", she writes. "I was supposed to ring a guide every time I wanted to pop out for a few building materials? I didn't need someone to show me where to go, just someone who understood Moroccan building terms and what it was our workers needed. Beside, what guide was going to be on call for half an hour's work at a time, several times a day, for a reasonable rate?"

Local official guide Karim, confirmed this. "We have a good business with tourists and it is waste of our time to escort tourists from a car park to their riad, or a local taking their clients to a restaurant."

Another guesthouse owner describes ongoing problems. "When our driver that picks up our guests to take them to his car for a day trip or transfer to the airport has to ask the guests to walk behind him so that he has no trouble with the police. Our cooks can no longer take guests to the market because they will be stopped by the police and potentially arrested. Our handyman was taking our guests to the shop where they ALREADY bought a door. He was stopped by the tourist police, arrested and spent a night in jail."

Another local resident told The View from Fez, "Belgian friends have a vacation home here in the medina. The owner has to walk ahead of his handyman in the street in order to avoid harassment by the tourist brigade. The handyman is a declared employee."

Local Fez residents apologise for the system and suggest that there are probably lobbies behind these policies such as official guides who don't want to see their commissions cut by merchants selling directly to tourists.

Si Mohammed, a Fez businessman, says that whatever the reason, the resulting situation is shameful "A Moroccan cannot walk with a foreigner for fear of spending a night in jail? As if we've gone back to colonialism!" he says.

A major tourist company director says these problems are widespread "We have heard all of the problems.  On the transport side of things the drivers used to walk clients to their hotel until the threat of jail became to much and now they have to send clients with carossa's  (hand-pushed carts) when needed. It is not only annoying for our business but also scary for our employees - not to say the least if they are questioned in front of clients (and I do have to say that this has happened but because everything was legitimate there were no problems and the tourist police were polite) - on the other hand we realise the situation with faux guides and harassment  needs to be handled as it's becoming more extreme."

Other tourism business people say they have also come to understand that the tourist police generally do get to know who's who and whether what they are doing is questionable. "Quite often I just wish
there were more around and I knew who they were!"

In the end, something has to change. As a top tourist destination, Fez Tourist Police need to concentrate on major problems, such as motorbikes in the Medina, rather than stopping local residents walking with their friends or clients.

Perhaps a system of authorisation for the employees of riads and restaurants could be instituted, to avoid this problem?

Story: Ibn Warraq

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Autumn Tourism in Morocco

While the flow of visitors arriving in Morocco had been relatively steady over the last month, the numbers appear to have increased in the last couple of weeks. Tour groups from Europe as well a considerable number of families from South America, Australia and New Zealand have been arriving recently. Guest house owners in the Layoun and Rcif areas of the Fez Medina report being at full capacity and with many forward bookings. Visitors are taking advantage of the fact that autumn is a cool but beautiful time of year and after the recent rains the countryside is green for the first time in months.

A frozen cedar forest - photo Jearld Moldenhauer  - Dar Balmira Gallery 

The snowfalls in the High Atlas have abated for the moment and the roads have been cleared of the snow.

Recent visitors (pictured above and below), Amy from Australia and Saara from Finland, exploring the Fez Medina for the first time found it "awesome". They spent a couple of days shopping in the Medina before heading off on a day trip to the Roman ruins at Volubilis, lunch in Moulay Idriss and a visit to the granaries in Meknes. 

Booking Early

Michele Reeves from Plan-it-Fez says that October was a very busy month, and though the numbers of arrivals have slowed slightly, it remains steady. Recent arrivals have been from America, the UK and countries in South America and most had the foresight to book well in advance. Michele says that last year people were booking accommodation and tours at the last minute which caused problems with supplying vehicles. Now, however, she says people are booking for late November and December, well in advance. Culinary tours and day trips, she says, remain incredibly popular.

Aisha Bail (pictured above), who manages Riad Rcif, says that the last couple of months have been incredibly busy with guests flowing in from European countries (due to the discount flights). The interesting demographic change she has noticed is there have also been many South American vistiors from countries such as Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Columbia and Brazil. They have also had a growing number of tourists from the Scandinavian, Baltic and Eastern bloc countries including Lithuania, Poland and Russia. Other riad owners in the Layoun, next to Rcif, have reported an increase in visitors from the Indian subcontinent.

Aisha Bail agrees with Michele Reeves that there is a trend towards many people booking well in advance. Some, she says, as far ahead as August 2013. Like Michele Reeves, she welcomes this as it makes management so much easier.

False Guides

The problem that concerns Aisha Bail most is the new breed of sophisticated false guides on the trains. The View from Fez has reported on this before, but it is worth repeating the warning. According to Aisha, the men, posing as businessmen, get on the trains to Fez at Meknes or Casablanca, and then try to convince visitors that the riad they are staying at is not a good place. Other visitors say that the men act in pairs with one laying the ground work and a follow-up person backing up the stories of poor accommodation. They also try and convince people that where they have booked is a "dangerous" area of Fez. They then offer to act as their guide in Fez and find them "better" accommodation. Unfortunately, even though many false guides have been stopped in recent weeks, the men on the trains continue to evade the police.

More info: 
Plan-it Fez: email: info@plan-it-fez.com. Website: www.plan-it-fez.com Tel: +212 (0) 678 549 482
Riad Rcif website
Rent a riad in Fez
Morocco Basics 

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Nearly 400 Fake Guides Arrested in Fez

According to a headline in a French language publication, "Fès : Près de 400 faux guides déférés devant la justice durant les cinq premiers mois de l'année en cours". It was good news. "Fez: Nearly 400 fake guides brought to justice in the first five months of the year"

Make sure your guide has an official badge!

For tourists in the Fez Medina this was a great result. According to the report, a  total of 398 false guides have been brought to justice for theft and fraud, during the first five months of the year. The statistics come from the Tourist Brigade of Fez.

The number of false guides arrested last May, however, experienced a significant decline (68), in comparison with the number (110) arrested in April, said the Brigade.

The report went on to explain that these false guides were arrested in places most frequented by tourists, such as hotels, tourist sites and monuments, souks, bazaars, squares and bus and railway stations.

The same brigade, located within the tourist police headquarters in Fez, arrested of 128 others for various offenses as well as some 68 individuals described as "insane".


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Hiring a guide in Fez

With the news from Maghreb Arab Press that the tourist police brigade has arrested 414 false guides in Fez over the last three months, The View from Fez asks, just how do you find a guide who's reliable?

Official guides in Fez wear a laminated badge around their neck. Without this authorisation, anyone posing as a guide is not registered and can be arrested for showing tourists the city. The real guides are well-informed about the history of the city and, like many Moroccans, speak several languages. On offer are English, French, Spanish, Italian and even Japanese. Visitors are encouraged either to book a guide through their guesthouse, or engage the services of one of the guides at Bab Boujloud. Guesthouses usually have a few guides they know and trust.

The unofficial guides, or faux guides, are indeed pesky. They try so hard to take visitors to shops or the tanneries, where they will earn a few Dirhams. 'La shukran' (no, thank you) should suffice, but often doesn't. A more forceful 'La!' might do the trick. If you really have trouble shaking them off, the tourist brigade police are stationed at Bab Boujloud, and patrol the streets dressed in navy blue. It must be said that the situation has improved markedly over the last few years, and with this new wave of arrests, should be even easier on tourists.

TO SHOP OR NOT TO SHOP?

The cost of a guide for half a day is around Dh150, and for a full day, Dh200. Guides will take visitors to various shops where they earn commission. You can be assured that prices in these shops will be at least 50% higher if you arrive with a guide in tow, to cover his commission. So, if you don't want to pay these prices, make sure that you say so when you book, and reiterate it before you set out. It's a good idea to tip a bit more than the standard fee if you're happy with his work and you've haven't shopped.

There are, as far as we know, only two female guides in Fez at the moment. And only a couple who speak Japanese, and who charge more for this extra skill.

IS A GUIDE NECESSARY?

It depends a lot on how much time you have and how good your map-reading skills are. If you only have a couple of days in Fez, then it's a good idea to hire a guide so that you don't miss any of the major places of interest. If, on the other hand, you have a little more time, a good map (from the Bab to Bab book, the green ADER guide or Lonely Planet's Fez Encounter), and don't mind getting lost now and again, you can get by without one. But it's a good idea to support the local guides who have worked hard to get their accreditation and can point out things you might miss.

Guides in Fez - official, unofficial and more

Just how much should a visitor to Fez pay for the services of a guide? The View from Fez recently came across a website offering a half-day guided tour for £103 for one person (yes - pounds Sterling). Strangely enough, there were no reviews available on this service ... so we've done some research

.

Official guides charge Dh150 for a three-hour walking tour of the medina. Official guides wear a laminated identification badge around their necks. Such a tour will most likely involve being taken into shops chosen by the guide. You can bet on prices in such establishments being at least 50% more than if you were to shop alone. The guides supplement their income with commission from the shops.

However, it is possible to ask for no shopping. Ask for this when you book the guide and reiterate it when you set out. It's a good idea to pay an extra amount to compensate for the lack of commission, say Dh200.

The guides are usually well-educated in the history of the city and speak a variety of languages. However, the two or three who speak Japanese charge Dh350 for the half-day tour. There are also one or two women guides, well-known for their penchant for shopping, and who don't like non-shopping tours!

Not all guides are particularly reliable. Recently we heard of some visitors who'd booked a supposedly trustworth guide. But on the appointed day he was busy and sent a friend, who never turned up. This can really spoil the visitors' stay in Fez. Perhaps the best thing to do is ask in advance for the guesthouse to arrange a guide. The owners always have a number of guides they know and trust.

The other problem that persists is that of the unofficial guides that range from young men pestering tourists around Bab Boujloud and insisting on accompanying them, to the man who boards the train at Meknes and targets tourists, offering his services as a guide and to try to persuade them to stay at a guesthouse he just happens to know. Yes, he's still at it, and the police still don't want to do anything about it.

Do you really need a guide? A good guidebook and map of the medina could be enough, but not everyone is good at reading maps, and many visitors prefer to have some input from the local experts. Half a day is usually enough, but if you want to include the mellah (old Jewish quarter) and the Andalous quarter, then a full day would be better.

If you do the maths you will realise that a good half day price for a guide is around 28 to 30 UK pounds, not the 103 advertised on the site we mentioned. Being ripped off is not good for anyone.

Climbing and trekking in Morocco

Mount Toubkal at 4167m is the highest peak in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains and a magnet for those wanting an extraordinary climbing adventure. Getting information about the climb, the weather conditions and available accommodation and guides in the area has always taken a lot of searching, so we sent our own resident mountaineer, Sandy, to check out the best route to find the information you want.

After struggling through a mass of websites I finally found a couple of places that were packed with information, good advice and some inspiring photographs.

Toubkal Mountain Guides are an outfit with a great reputation in the climbing community. They are a small, independent mountain guiding company whose professional guides are drawn from all over the world. At the present time they employ Irish, English, French, Swiss & Americans.

Most of these guides live year-round in Morocco and have years of combined experience in leading small groups & individuals to some of the most remote and unspoilt areas in this fabulous mountain range.The Toubkal Mountain Guides are headed up by husband and wife team Des and Nathalie Clark.



Des Clark is an (Irish) professional International Mountain Leader and founding director of Wilderplaces Adventure Tours NI Ltd, an Irish company with its offices in the south of Morocco. Outside of the Moroccan High Atlas, he has climbed and guided extensively in the Alps, Pyrenees, Iceland, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.



NathalieClark is a widely travelled & multi-lingual mother of three children. An experienced French & E.F.L. teacher, she especially enjoys the combination of wilderness travel & diverse ethnic cultures. Nathalie leads a number of cultural village and family adventure trips when not home-schooling! Trying to learn the unwritten Berber language Tashelhayt is just one of her current projects.

What I like about the Toubkal Mountain Guides websites ( they have a blog as well) is the emphasis on safety. Toubkal is not a picnic walk. The minimum time required for a fit individual is 3 to 4 days depending on weather conditions. There are two refuges below Toubkal. One is run by the Club Alpin Francais and the other a private venture called Mouflon. All reports suggest that for comfort, Mouflon is preferable.


Of course Toubkal is only one destination and as the related website NomadicMorocco points out "Both the Western High and Mgoun regions offer superb trekking and mountaineering - "far from the madding crowd"!

Although Ighil Mgoun has the attraction of being over 4000m (it is 4068m), it is far enough away from Marrakech and remote enough from the main valley regions to prevent it being over-run with day-trippers and the like.

The Western High Atlas are even less visited but there are some hidden gems to reward those who venture - Immaradene 3350m and Moulay Ali (also 3350m) being just two.

Incidently, NomadicMorocco is the trading name of Wilderplaces Adventure Tours NI Ltd (a company registered in Northern Ireland) but their office is based in southern Morocco.


Essential info - visit these links.

Toubkal Mountain Guides

Toubkal Mountain Guides Blog ( with weather conditions)

Nomadic Morocco

The View from Fez would like to thank Des Clark for permission to reproduce the photographs in this article.


Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Beware the men on trains

Once again, a Fez guesthouse reports that its guests were the target of scam-artists who board the train at Meknes.

Usually one or two men get on the train and scour the carriages for tourists. Then they explain that they are official guides (not true) and that the guesthouse they've chosen is a den of iniquity/a brothel/burned down/a bad place to stay (also not true). Much better for the tourists is the place they know (where of course, they'll get a commission). And they usually offer their services as a guide to the city (illegal, as they're not official guides).

In this particular case, the guests arrived very unhappy and left quickly the next morning before breakfast. The guesthouse owner later saw them, with guide in tow, in the medina.

Fez Riads reports that although there is information on train travel on its website, people often don't read it or ignore it. Gullible tourists in Morocco, perhaps for the first time, are susceptible to these men. If you want a guide, use one recommended by the guesthouse you're staying in, or engage one of the men who wait at Bab Boujloud. You can see if they're official: they wear a name badge with their qualifications and a photograph.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!



Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Old myths die hard.

As someone who has spent a lot of time wandering the wondefully intriguing maze that makes up the old Medina of Fez, I am constantly amazed at the number of travel writers who keep rolling out the old myths about faux guides and being hassled by touts. While it was true there was a time when these people seemed to congregate around tourists like bees around honey, those days are long gone.

Aware that tourism was an important and ongoing part of the Moroccan economy, the government wisely brought in the "tourist police" to crack down on the problem. These days the faux guide is a rarity; the exception, and not the rule. It is almost impossible to walk through the medina without seeing the "tourist police" in operation. Usually they travel in pairs, one in uniform, the other in civilian clothes and they discharge their duties in a friendly and efficient way.

The official guides are registered and carry identity tags that must be displayed at all times and I have even seen one of the best of the official guides being reprimanded for having his id card under his coat and not on top.

Yet, still the myths about faux guides continues. Although talking about Marrakech, the latest travel writer to project the past into the present was Jeffrey Tayler, who, in a piece in the Atlantic Monthly wrote...

Morocco’s main attractions can weary travelers as much as enchant them. The imperial cities of Fez, Marrakesh, and Meknes boast tiled tombs and ornate mosques set among medinas, or old quarters of cities, of medieval squalor as well as medieval allure. The moonscape crags of the Atlas Mountains demand of climbers powerful lungs and legs of steel. The oases of the deep south, with their towering casbahs, groves of palms, and fields of feathery alfalfa, stand amid Saharan wastes where the temperature can reach 120 degrees. Most wearying of all are the aggressive teenage faux guides, who, touting their services, can turn a stroll down a spice-scented lane into an excursion as tranquil as a stint of trading on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. While living as a Peace Corps volunteer in the medina of Marrakesh, I thought I would lose my mind or have to quit the country, intrigued though I was by it...

But wait a moment - "living as a Peace Corps volunteer" - for the record I checked and Tayler's stint was back in 1988. A lot has changed since then, Jeffrey. Maybe you deserve a trip back to Morocco and I can promise you it is not as "wearying" as it was back then.



Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news