According to a recent interview with Zoubir Bouhoute, a tourism expert, the classified hotel sector in Morocco is highly concentrated: just 7% of hotel establishments generate nearly 75% of the revenue from classified accommodation. This disparity underscores a structural crisis facing small hotels, which struggle to compete with larger chains and modern facilities.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges, but the underlying issues are long-term. Small hotels often lack the financial resources to renovate, market effectively, or adapt to changing traveler preferences. As a result, many operate at low occupancy rates and face declining profitability.
Bouhoute suggests that the crisis is not merely cyclical but deeply rooted in the sector's structure. He calls for targeted government support, including tax incentives, access to financing, and training programs to help small hotels modernize and improve their competitiveness.
Without such measures, the trend toward concentration is likely to continue, potentially leading to further closures of small establishments and a loss of authentic, locally-owned accommodation options in Morocco.
