Tourists walk in the old city of Marrakesh, the city at the foot of the High Atlas mountain range MARRAKESH (MOROCCO) - Moroccan snake-charmer Youssef watched as long-absent tourists again thronged Marrakesh's famous Jamaa El-Fna square, ending a long pause forced by the Covid pandemic. "We're breathing again," he said. The ancient southern city, famous for its views of graceful red buildings set against palm trees and snow-capped mountains, has long drawn visitors including celebrities from Madonna to Yves Saint Laurent. But it was particularly hard hit by a two-year collapse in tourism that saw arrivals to the North African kingdom plummet to just a third last year from 2019. For Youssef, taking a break from playing his oboe-like "ghaita" pipe before the seemingly mesmerised serpent, "it's such a pleasure to be back here after these slow, painful months". Tourism -- which accounts for some seven percent of Morocco's economy and creates hundreds of thousands of formal and … [Read more...] about Morocco ‘breathing again’ as tourists back after Covid shutdown