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Hospitality professionals in Marrakech, one of Morocco’s most famous tourist destinations, are voicing frustration with GetYourGuide, an online marketplace for travel activities.
GetYourGuide, a start-up founded in 2009 in Zurich, Switzerland, lists tours, activities, and excursions that tourists can book while visiting Marrakech and other parts of Morocco. However, accredited professionals working in the tourism industry have expressed concern over how this platform operates, suggesting it «undermines the field» in the country.
GetYourGuide works as an intermediary, connecting tourists with local tour operators offering services such as guided tours, day trips, and activities like sightseeing, museum visits, or adventure experiences. Many tourism professionals argue that some unauthorized or low-quality providers slip through the cracks, providing fake documentation proving their legitimacy, such as business licenses, permits, or certifications, and sell their services at much lower prices than the market.
Unauthorized service providers
«GetYourGuide is a platform that promotes public and tourist destinations in Morocco. Unfortunately, Morocco still lacks a local website of similar scale», Mohamed Bamansour, President of the National Federation of Tourist Transport (FNTT), told Yabiladi. He argued that while the «website relies on companies that actually exist and respect the law, it can also be a target for fraudulent activities». «Some people are misusing the website, uploading false information. This might involve foreigners operating from abroad, offering services in Morocco without necessary authorizations, or individuals from the informal sector presenting fake or falsified documents», he said, voicing the worries of many professionals from the field.
To avoid this, he demanded that the «Ministry of Tourism intervenes, organizes a dialogue with industry experts, and establishes a new procedure to secure the registration of companies that provide services on the platform». «These companies should be authorized and licensed to offer tourist services, such as catering, transport, or touring, to protect Morocco as a destination», he insisted, adding that in case of problems, a legal framework should be in place to guarantee the rights of both providers and customers.
Although the GetYourGuide website asks registered service providers for the necessary authorizations and documentation, it is likely that it does not «verify the authenticity of the documents presented by these providers and is not checking them with the competent local authorities», he alleged. According to Bamansour, not having the right authorizations to provide tourist services on such a platform could result in involving «informal providers» who «don't pay taxes or social security payments, and the government and the formal sector do not benefit from their activities».
Other professionals have pinpointed additional problems, such as dumping or uncompetitive pricing. This was noticed firsthand by Mohamed, a professional working as a representative for a local travel agency in Marrakech. The firm assists tourists from the day they land in Morocco until the day they leave, helping with reservations, trips, and even providing excursions of all types. «It’s known that many service providers on GetYourGuide that offer tours in Morocco are from the informal sector, which means they often don't pay taxes. This explains their low prices compared to other providers», he lamented. «They operate entirely online, without physical offices», said Mohamed.
Regulated vs. unregulated
On the other hand, «legitimate professionals pay taxes, rent offices, and have declared employees. These costs are included in their prices, making them more expensive. However, informal providers on GetYourGuide offer cheaper prices due to avoiding these expenses», he explained. «This means they might not provide the expected level of service», he insisted.
«In hotels, we see them be unprofessional, often missing appointments. This damages the industry's image», he complained. «Clients prioritize price over licensing. While understandable, this can lead to supporting informal providers, which harms the legitimate tourism sector», he stated.
His colleague, who also operates as a representative of a tourist agency in Marrakech, voiced similar concerns, adding that this could go as far as harming the reputation of tourism in Morocco. «Some providers on GetYourGuide are unprofessional and unqualified. They prioritize money over service quality, lack language skills, and harm the industry's reputation», he noted. «Low prices often indicate low-quality services. For example, a 75 DH guided tour to Ouzoud waterfalls likely involves an unauthorized guide, poor restaurants and experiences», he added.
The professional, who also accompanies tourists on excursions provided by his employer, said that «It's easy to create a fake company and start operating on GetYourGuide. This can harm legitimate businesses and create unfair competition». Moreover, he insisted that people like him end up paying for the mistakes of unprofessional service providers on similar apps and platforms. «Travel agencies bear the consequences of client issues with GetYourGuide providers. They may need to provide assistance, like hospital visits, even if they didn't recommend the provider», he noted.
Jamal Saadi, the former president of the National Federation of Tourist Guides, who still operates as a guide, believes that this phenomenon is due to the way these platforms operate. «In general, all platforms are interested in selling their products. Given the competition in international markets, they try their best to please their clients», he commented.
This could lead to «unfair practices like dumping». Dumping involves selling below market price, harming legitimate businesses. The informal sector poses challenges. They don't pay taxes or social security and don't follow regulations. This creates unfair competition and harms the formal sector.
To Saadi, there is a solution: verifying and going the extra mile to ensure that providers are legitimate. «I believe they should send requests to the Ministry of Tourism or regional associations to confirm the legitimacy of service providers», he suggested.
«They can contact each association, providing necessary details, to verify the authenticity of the provider. It's a straightforward process. The Ministry might argue that the market is free. However, tourism federations should discuss this issue with the Ministry of Tourism». The National Confederation of Tourism (CNT) has trade federations that can bring this request to the President, and «I'm confident the President of the CNT will address the Ministry to find a solution», he concluded.
Much lower prices than the market
Checking prices proposed by GetYourGuide in Marrakech and comparing them to other platforms and online providers, Yabiladi noticed that the currently Berlin-based company consistently offers the lowest price. For a balloon flight, Berber breakfast, and certificate tour in Marrakech that includes hotel pickups and drop-offs, GetYourGuide asks for 1,435 dirhams. This is significantly lower than other companies, such as Viator, which charges 2,019 dirhams per person for a hot air balloon trip that includes only a breakfast, flight, and certificate, without pickups.
Airbnb suggests a price of 1,969 dirhams for a similar package with a hot air balloon flight, pickups, breakfast, and certificate, which is higher than the offer on GetYourGuide. For an Agafay Desert trip, with a camel ride, dinner, and show, GetYourGuide suggests a price of 372 dirhams, including pickups and drop-offs. A similar trip with Airbnb is slightly higher at 450 dirhams, and TripAdvisor prices the trip, along with a quad adventure, at 570 dirhams.
For longer guided tours, GetYourGuide offers the lowest prices. For a 3-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga, the platform charges 5,090 dirhams. The trip includes transportation, camel trekking, overnight stays in Dades and Ouarzazate, and drop-offs in Marrakech. On TripAdvisor, the same trip is priced at 7,533 dirhams.
As for small city attractions, GetYourGuide also offers the lowest prices. A guided tour of the Ben Youssef Madrassa, Secret Garden, and souks in Marrakech costs 323 dirhams per person. The same tour is priced at 442 dirhams on Viator.
It is worth noting that GetYourGuide was founded in 2009 by Johannes Reck, Tao Tao, Martin Sieber, and Tobias Rein. Originally created as a peer-to-peer platform to connect tourists with amateur guides, the idea expanded into an online platform for booking professional tours and activities.
The company was initially based in Zurich but moved to Berlin in 2013 to raise venture capital, largely from American investors. Over multiple funding rounds, it raised significant capital, reaching a valuation of $2 billion by 2023. GetYourGuide expanded globally, particularly in Asia and the Americas, and continued to grow despite challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yabiladi tried to reach the offices of GetYourGuide for an explanation of the criteria used to select service providers in Morocco but all attempts were unsuccessful.
