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Morocco’s Tourism Minister Fatima Zahra Ammor is facing strong scrutiny over an assessment project’s high costs.
The case relates to a massive contract worth MAD 147 million ($14.7 million) that the Tourism Engineering Company has launched to evaluate service quality in tourism accommodation facilities.
Reports suggest the deal aims to support the implementation of a new classification system under Law 80-14, which restructures the standards and criteria for classifying tourism establishments in Morocco. However, the project’s hefty price tag has drawn criticism from lawmakers.
A parliamentary representative raised concerns about the contract in a written question to Ammor. The representative suggested that Morocco could have used more cost-effective digital alternatives, especially as the country moves toward adopting its National Digital Morocco 2030 Strategy.
“Digital solutions could serve as an alternative evaluation mechanism that costs less while offering greater efficiency and comprehensiveness, relying directly on customer feedback through national digital platforms,” the MP argued.
The project uses “mystery shopper” visits, where qualified staff visit hotels without management’s knowledge to assess service quality based on real customer experiences, she added. These evaluations cover the entire “customer journey” from booking and reception to departure.
The Tourism Engineering Company divided the tender into four separate contracts. The first contract covers evaluation of “luxury” and “five-star” establishments at MAD 48.4 million ($4.84 million).
The second focuses on four-star establishments in the Marrakech-Safi region, valued at MAD 50.3 million ($5.03 million). The third contract addresses remaining four-star establishments nationwide for MAD 28.8 million ($2.88 million), while the fourth covers three-star establishments at MAD 20.3 million ($2.03 million).
Yet the MP called for establishing a more comprehensive and cost-effective evaluation system while creating a national database that directly reflects customer feedback.
She questioned the project’s fate and the conditions under which the company will execute these contracts.
This controversy reflects ongoing debates about balancing quality assurance in Morocco’s crucial tourism sector with fiscal responsibility, particularly as the country seeks to modernize its approach through digital transformation initiatives.
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