An emergency appeal has been instigated by Intrepid Travel following Friday’s devastating Morocco earthquake.
The appeal raised $102,000, plus a $100,000 match from Intrepid, on Sunday alone.
The operator’s not-for-profit arm, the Intrepid Foundation, committed to matching all donations up to £50,000.
Chief executive James Thornton said: “It’s pretty humbling, but we want and need to do more.
“Local communities, particularly in the Atlas Mountains, are in dire need of help.”
Team members in the country have lost relatives and local partner Education for All has lost a student with some still missing, Thornton disclosed.
All funds raised via the appeal will go directly to grassroots organisations to provide emergency relief and support in Morocco following the 6.8 magnitude quake that killed at least 2,122 people and left almost 2,500 injured.
The deadliest earthquake to hit the north African country in more than a century struck below remote mountainous villages south of Marrakech.
The tremor collapsed homes, blocked roads and swayed buildings as far away as the country’s northern coast.
Marrakech’s old city, a Unesco World Heritage site and venue for last year’s Abta Travel Convention, suffered damage.
Intrepid had 66 tour groups and about 650 customers on tours in the country at the time of the earthquake, all of whom have been accounted for, according to the company.
The Intrepid Foundation established the appeal to provide support to its long-term local NGO partners in Morocco, Education for All and the High Atlas Foundation, which are both on the ground working with local communities to provide those impacted with essential provisions such as food, shelter, clean water and medical supplies.
The Intrepid Foundation will match donations up to £50,000 while covering the foundation’s administrative costs, ensuring all of donations go directly to recovery efforts.
Intrepid holds a deep and enduring connection with Morocco as one of the operator’s biggest destinations globally.
Intrepid Foundation general manager Biheng Zhang said: “The earthquake in Morocco is the most devastating to hit the country in over a century.
“While many of us cannot even begin to understand this level of loss, we can, by supporting this appeal, directly supply those impacted with emergency relief and support.”
The operator’s EMEA managing director Zina Bencheikh added: “Intrepid was founded on the idea of benefiting both the travellers and the people in the communities we visit.
“Through this relief effort, we hope to give back to the country that has given so much to our travel community. My heart is with Morocco, my home, and one of the most special places in the world.”
Intrepid offers 33 tours in Morocco, with a major office in Marrakech and nearly 80 local team members.
To donate, please visit Morocco Earthquake Appeal
A separate fundraiser to support communities dependent on tourism in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco has been launched by The Charitable Travel Fund.
Trustee Melissa Tilling said “Our hearts and energy are now committed to the communities in Morocco dependent on tourism, working with a local NGO, to provide support rescue, rehabilitation and recovery.
“The travel industry has long supported and profited from Moroccan tourism development; now please support those same people in time of need.”
Details of the fundraiser are via a JustGiving link: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/moroccanearthquake
Image by Fadel Senna via Getty, Intrepid has permission to use