The earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night at just after 11pm was centred in the High Atlas Mountains between Marrakech and Agadir. This strong earthquake was felt throughout the country from Tangiers in the North to Laguira in the south. Modern construction in the cities has meant that damage was limited to older buildings, particularly in the mountains and rural villages. Marrakech itself has some minor damage to older buildings in and around the medina, but all our accommodations are okay and everything from Marrakech to the North or West to the coast is absolutely business as usual. All airports are open and operating as normal. Our transporters, transfers, and tours are operating unchanged and without problem. All major roads are open, there are no travel restrictions, and trains and buses are running to a slightly disrupted but efficient schedule. Internal traffic is virtually unaffected. There may be some problems in some of the minor mountain roads, but none have been reported so far.

While the media seem to have concentrated their efforts on reporting Marrakech, the actual damage in the city is very little, and all accommodations and golf courses that we know of are operating normally. Some restaurants in the Medina and surrounding areas have closed temporarily to assess the structural integrity of the buildings, and to allow a time of mourning for their staff, many of whom have lost family members.

We will continue to monitor the situation and let you know if there is anything significant. From a point of view of the reaction to tourists, they will be just as welcome as always, possibly even more so as the local people will need all the income that tourism generates in order to rebuild their lives.

Yours in Golf Karim DRISSI EL BOUZAIDI