Ifrane (Morocco) (AFP)

In the snow-capped mountains of the Middle Atlas, the desertion of foreign tourists linked to the coronavirus pandemic leaves the local population desolate and idle, which derives most of its income from tourism.

Only the last magot monkeys in Morocco are benefiting from the lull.

The closure of the borders, more than a year ago due to the health crisis, has blocked international customers traditionally attracted by the beauty of the landscapes.

The atmosphere remains gloomy in the mountain range which stretches for some 350 km, from the southwest to the northeast of Morocco, despite the heavy snowfall in recent weeks.

But "that there are very few tourists is ultimately a good thing for the magot monkeys who have been able to resume a healthier life" in Ifrane National Park (north-east), welcomes Mustapha Oukannou, of the Dutch NGO AAP.

Many visitors, in fact, feed the primates without listening to the advice of those who, like him, work for the protection of the endangered species.

In the heart of the immense cedar forest located near Azrou, near Ifrane, the equestrian guides wander, idle.

Some do not hesitate to run alone in the cedar grove, declaiming Amazigh poetry to deceive boredom.

"We got off to a good start, especially with foreign visitors, but the pandemic brought our activity to a halt," laments Youssef Mouhyi, director of the "Maison de la cédraie", an eco-museum opened in January 2020.

Group walks, seminars and other group meetings are all stopped due to health restrictions.

Moulay Abdellah Lahrizi, 55, owner of the Auberge des Jardins d'Azrou, has lost 70% of his clientele.

"The influx of foreigners was constant throughout the year (2020). Today we have to adapt to a local clientele", told AFP the Swiss-Moroccan who returned to his native country to embark on tourism. .

"The proximity to large cities and the epidemiological situation of the region, where very few cases are recorded, encourage people to come. But we are far from the account because the influx is episodic", according to the owner of the cottage nestled in a few kilometers from Ifrane.

In the cedar grove of Azrou, Rachid Hamidi, seller of mineral stones is slumped on a plastic chair in front of his small shop.

"The few passing tourists take pictures and go on their way. I sometimes return home without having sold anything," reports, worried, this 34-year-old man.

- "Little Switzerland" -

In Ifrane, located at an altitude of 1,800 meters and often nicknamed "Little Switzerland" because of its proximity to a small area with a few ski slopes, the atmosphere is quite different on weekends.

"Before the pandemic, I instinctively spent my holidays abroad but coronavirus obliges me, I decided to explore the region", testifies Ayman, 30, intern in intensive care in a hospital in Rabat.

"There is a lot to see in Morocco and in addition I am helping to run the country's tourist economy, hard hit by the crisis," he adds.

The small Ifrane market is thus teeming with people on weekends with its restaurants offering traditional dishes and its shops offering warm clothes to passers-by transfixed by the cold.

Restaurants, cafes and hotels are almost all full.

A record attendance was recorded in early January with an occupancy rate of 95%, according to the tourism department.

But "it is the only destination in Morocco that has achieved this feat during a pandemic", underlines Mariem Ouadaani, director of the Provincial Tourism Delegation of Ifrane.

Especially because access has not been prohibited, unlike the resort of Oukeimeden - the most famous ski area in the country, in the heights of Marrakech, which has been isolated for several weeks by decision of the local authorities.

The weekend influx will not save the winter season in Ifrane.

"During the week, the city is empty. It's problematic because our charges are fixed but our receipts are not," said the manager of the restaurant "L'empreinte".

© 2021 AFP