Adventure tour operator Intrepid hopes to resume some tours to Morocco later this week but with altered itineraries following the earthquake in the destination.
The tour operator, which has already instigated an emergency appeal to help communities in the destination, has cancelled all tours departing up to Wednesday, September 13.
Amended itineraries will no longer travel to areas most affected by the earthquake. They will avoid the Atlas Mountains, the quake’s epicentre, reduce time in Marrakech and avoid the Medina, but operate as normal to other parts of the country which were unaffected.
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However, clients who have booked trips between September 13 and 17 and no longer want to travel have the option to cancel and receive a credit towards a future trip.
A spokeswoman said: “While we’re confident to run trips in Morocco starting on September 14, with some amendments in place, we understand that some people may want to reassess their immediate travel plans following the recent earthquake.”
She added: “Our top priority is the safety of all our travellers and staff, and we will continue to reassess and respond to the situation, should it evolve.”
Intrepid has 604 customers on tours in Morocco currently, and 77 staff.
The company said staff had worked through the night to ensure all its customers, tour leaders and staff were safe and accounted for following the earthquake on September 8.
Tour leaders are now working with each tour group individually to advise on the next steps, based on the best, and safest, options. The ‘vast majority’ of customers have chosen to continue their trips, the operator said.