Over 22,000 Moroccans Living Abroad Arrived in Kingdom via Al Hoceima in Summer 2017

22,091 Moroccans living abroad have entered Morocco through Al Hoceima’s various transit points between Operation Marhaba 2017’s launch on June 6 and July 31, reports the Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).

The customs officer in Al Hoceima, Fahd Allabouch, stressed that the number of passengers “has been experiencing a growing dynamic” since the beginning of the operation in Al Hoceima province, with a total of 13,148 people arriving at the Al Hoceima ferry terminal and 8,943 at Acharif Al Idrissi airport.

3,319 cars passed through the Al Hoceima ferry terminal during the same period, the official added.

The last week of July saw a significant increase in the number of travelers passing through the various crossing points in the province of Al Hoceima, recording a total of 7,804 people and 1,600 cars, said the official.

The Al Hoceima ferry port receivesa frequency of four to six arrivals per week from the port of Motril in Spain, witha total of 24 routes since the beginning of Operation Marhaba 2017. The Acharif Al Idrissi Airport is linked to three international airports: Amsterdam, Brussels and Charleroi.

The Customs Administration organized a series of meetings at regional and local level to raise awareness among all actors of the importance of this operation and to ensure the best reception conditions of the Moroccan diaspora, Allabouch noted, adding that these measures have been put in place to improve the quality of services provided to passengers.

Omar Moussa Abdellah, project coordinator at the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, stressed that the steady attachment of the Moroccan diaspora to their homeland is reflected each year by the large number of passengers flocking to Morocco.

The foundation works to ensure the best reception conditions for Moroccans living abroad through a variety of measures, including increasing the number of reception spaces in Morocco and in Europe, said Abdellah.

The official recalled that this year has seenthe setting up of two reception areas, one at the airport Fez Saiss and the other at the port of Mortil in Spain.

Source: BNA