We have been in touch with our partners in Morocco - Atlas Outdoor - over the weekend and would like to post an update on the situation on the ground.
First and foremost, the team at Atlas Outdoor wish to express sincere gratitude for the concern and unwavering support extended during the recent very challenging days.
In light of the many planned tours on the horizon, they felt it necessary to provide an update on the current situation there, particularly considering the way that events have been portrayed in the media. It is indeed a catastrophic situation in some areas, where people are still missing and buried under the rubble. The hardest-hit regions are primarily to the south of Marrakech, including Toubkal, especially Amezmiz, the Asni Valley and the provinces of Taroudant and Ouarzazate.
As Atlas Outdoor are situated close to the centre of these events, they are witnessing the situation first-hand and experiencing the full spectrum of emotions. Their team particularly wanted to provide reassurance that Marrakech, the city they call home, remains safe and intact. The images in the media often depict older streets that have long been deemed hazardous. Even before the earthquake, authorities had been working on relocating residents to safer areas for reconstruction.
They have been in contact with all of their partners in Marrakech - including hotels and riads - and are relieved to report that they are all safe. The buildings remain structurally sound and secure. The same holds true for Taroudant and Ouarzazate.
The only precaution they are taking pertains to upcoming tours in the Toubkal region. They will be avoiding this area for the next month until they can confirm that the situation has stabilized.
Their main focus is currently on the affected Berber villages and they are doing whatever they can to provide help and support with the resources at their disposal. They remain steadfast in their commitment for the safety of customers and want to be sure that they can continue to operate each tour successfully as originally planned.
If you want to help, you can donate to UNICEF who are on the ground, providing urgent assistance to children and their families - donate here.
We will continue to keep you updated, and we hold onto hope that the resilient mountain communities will recover and thrive once more.
And finally we would like to appeal to everyone working in the travel industry not to make rash decisions at this time. The local people in the towns and villages of Morocco need your support more than ever, so please avoid knee-jerk reactions and hold steady. Apart from making donations to charities, the best thing you can do to support the people of Morocco is to continue to promote and offer tours there.
