Spanish tourists cancel Morocco hotel bookings as Ceuta crisis weighs on travel

Spanish travelers have accounted for a higher concentration of hotel cancellations for trips to Morocco scheduled in September, according to booking data published as the fallout from the recent Ceuta crisis continues to draw attention in Spain.

Data from hotel booking platform Travelgate, cited by Spanish tourism outlet Hosteltur, shows that September accounted for 84.13% of recent hotel cancellations recorded from the Spanish market.

By comparison, September accounted for 51.58% of cancellations recorded from other international markets during the same period.

The figures do not mean that 84.13% of Spanish hotel bookings for Morocco were cancelled. Rather, they show that, among the cancellations recently recorded from Spanish travelers, 84.13% concerned stays scheduled for September.

September also accounted for 60% of recent hotel bookings made from the Spanish market, according to the Travelgate data.

The cancellations have affected bookings for several Moroccan destinations, including Marrakech, Agadir, Meknes and Tangier.

The increase comes after the crisis that unfolded in Ceuta at the end of July, when a wave of migrants entered the Spanish-controlled city, triggering political and media debate in Spain over migration and relations with Morocco.

The available data does not show a similar pattern across other tourism markets. September represented a smaller share of cancellations from markets other than Spain, at 51.58%.

Spanish travelers are an important source market for Morocco’s tourism sector because of the two countries’ geographical proximity and extensive air and sea connections.