Political unrest in Morocco?

The protests have already begun: "REUTERS - At least 2,000 protesters gathered in a square in Morocco's capital on Sunday to demand that King Mohammed give up some of his powers and clamp down on government corruption. Some people in the crowd were waving Tunisian and Egyptian flags, a recognition of the popular uprisings there . . . . . . . " This quote is from france24 news live.

Not rumors: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704476604576157613018552154.html

Yep, it seems to be real. OTOH, my sense is that Morocco seems to be somewhat less volatile than many other middle eastern countries (unlike Libya and some others). In any case, it's a good idea to pay some attention to the local political situation anywhere you go, but especially so right now across the middle east/north Africa region. My wife keeps asking me if it's a good time to go to Egypt yet - honestly, I suspect it probably is (the rare opportunity to get pictures of the great sights without a thousand tourists in the way) - no doubt the many people who earn their livings in the tourism industry are hurting badly and would be very happy to see visitors. I bet there will be some bargains, too. Something to remember is that political unrest is usually concentrated in a very specific, very limited location. Unless you go looking for it (or blunder into it), most tourists would probably be unaffected by it most of the time. Obviously there are exceptions to this (the recent Cairo airport chaos, internet shutdowns, strikes, etc.). To answer Heidi's specific question (whether to cancel a short visit there scheduled for April) I'd probably suggest waiting and watching, and it depends on what your planned trip looks like. Is it a quickie ferry trip from Spain to Tangier? Or were you planning to go to the capital (Rabat)? I suspect the biggest worry for tourists jumping off the ferry in Tangier would be the touts waiting for you - just like any other day. I would be a lot more wary of going to the location of any likely demonstrations (e.g. a big public square in Rabat). If it were me, I'd tentatively plan to go, but would watch developments carefully, and have a Plan B in my back pocket. It's very likely that you'll have no trouble at all, but it's worth paying close attention to be sure.

I would be very wary of visiting this part of the world at the moment. I have a friend who has just returned home having been caught up in the situation in Cairo. They were virtually hostages in their hotel there for 4 days. Had 4 attempts to make it to the airport. They had to cancel the African safari leg of their holiday. They had to be in Capetown by 5th February to catch the Queen Mary 2 back to Australia. As there were no flights from Cairo going south, they had to travel via Heathrow. It cost them $5000 and it is highly unlikely their travel insurance will compensate them for 'Civil Unrest'.

This just came through my twitter feed: #Morocco and #Libya Unrest as Seen via YouTube: http://on.mash.to/gMlrrf I have been critical of people not going places because of volcanic ash, potential terrorism, economic unrest etc..... However, this deserves a serious rethink, especially with kids. No telling how far and wide this tidal wave will spread (hear that Fidel?).

More than rumors. Heck, still probably safer than some cities in the US though. Events can turn on a dime. Most folks desire to avoid the uncertainty and stay out of these areas which are pretty much from Morocco in the west all the way to Iraq in the east (Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, etc.). Be interesting to see if the the whole group of countries head to more of a democracy type government subplanting the policies of a one Dulles under Eisenhower. While grabbing a soda at McD today I was talking with someone and the following comment was made "wonder what their attitude will be towards the US when we sat around while they were getting killed." Edwin

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your news. And Brian for sharing your perspective. We only have a day in Tangiers planned, with a guide. I agree, I usually don't get scared off by what I read in the media, but traveling with kids and my mother puts a different slant on it. I will wait for a few more weeks to see what develops and hope for the best.

Oops, I meant, David. Thank you, David, for your perspective. Too early!

With all due respect, I don't think that's a very a reasonable comparison. Anyone thinking about a trip to Morocco (or anywhere else in North Africa or the Middle East, and lots of other places) should pay attention to the current political situation, and have a Plan B they can switch to if things look like it would be unwise to go there (or how to stay safe if things start to go badly once they're there). But that doesn't mean that people should just panic. Tangier ain't Beirut - not by any stretch of the imagination - and isn't going to be. If I were planning a trip to Morocco right now, I would not cancel it. I would watch things carefully as my trip approached, and would evaluate things based on actual events there. If things looked like they were going to be dicey (or worse) where I was planning to go, then I'd go somewhere else. It's important to know something about the places you go before leaving. Morocco is not the same as Egypt, Libya, Yemen or (of all places) Beirut. Yes, there are demonstrations going on now in Morocco, like many places in the region. Based on what I've seen, and what I know about the country, I doubt the government there is going to fall (the current king is actually fairly popular - he's generally seen as a young, modern, progressive reformer), and there's virtually no history of the kind of violent, armed-to-the-teeth sectarian conflicts there that have been a sad part of life in Lebanon for generations. Yes, there's corruption and unemployment, and people want change (just like where I live). That doesn't mean it's going to dissolve into chaos. Everyone needs to make their own decisions of whether they feel comfortable traveling, of course, but I think it's best to base those decisions on reality, rather than on what happened somewhere else. YMMV.

I had friends who were caught in Lebanon in the summer of 2007 (I think that is the correct year) during their most recent time of "unrest." They had to hire a taxi to take them to Syria and pay a very large sum of money for a flight out from there. It was a dangerous and anxious trip and only possible because my friend is herself Syrian, a native Arabic speaker, and personally knew a taxi driver willing to take the risk for $500.

Get your feet wet....come to Madison instead.

Perhaps David is right. Morocco may indeed be very safe. My experience is with Lebanon. Part of my family is Lebanese, and I hear all the middle east talk all the time. Some of my family lives in Beirut. Right now I choose to stay away from that part of the world. One could probably go to Lebanon or Morocco or Egypt right now and have a wonderful time and have no trouble. I guess it scared me in 07 when my family missed being in Beirut during the turmoil by about a week. As you say, Beirut is not Morocco.

I hear you David, but are you factoring kids into your math. That changes everything.

Everyone has to make their own decisions. I don't routinely travel with kids, but I'd venture that I care no less about my family members (that I do travel with) than others care about their children. If I were planning a trip to Morocco and would be traveling with kids, the equation would be the same for me. That said, I'm not sure that Morocco makes an ideal travel destination for some kids: it's hot, the food is weird, and much of what defines the familiar and the comfortable for kids is quite different there. I'm sure some kids would do just fine there, but I'm equally sure that other kids would find Morocco something of an ordeal - even without the political unrest.