Tunisia: Diagnosis & Portfolio Analysis (2011-2013)

Tunisia is a small country situated in North Africa, surrounded by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and to the east offering it 1,300 km of coasts. Tunisia’s population is almost 11 millions spread over 162,500 sq km.

The tourism sector is a vital sector for the Tunisian economy as it employs about 400 000 people (both direct and indirect employments) and ensures more than 3.2 billion dinars of tourist receipts in foreign currencies which cover over 27% of the Tunisian trade deficit.

I. Diagnosis: Destination performance & market analysis
I.1. Inbound tourism
I.1.1: Arrival on-boarders of non-residents

Although the unprecedented revolution Tunisia knew in January 2011 radically changed the political and the economic scenes and, consequently, the touristic performance, we can assume that the situation started to relatively recover as of mid 2012. Table 1 gives an idea about Tunisia’s inbound Tourism in the post-revolution era. It is clear that 2011 was deeply affected by the political crisis and hence the year’s figures are not very representative of how the tourism sector in Tunisia generally looks like.  

Table 1: Arrival on boarders of non-residents and shares of total in %

Source: Tunisian National Tourist Office (TNTO)

Tunisia’s inbound tourism is mainly split between North Africans and Europeans with respectively 51.7% and 46.2% of total arrival on boarders in 2013. The North African market has increased by 14% in terms of arrival on boarders in 2013 compared to 2012 while the European market slightly decreased by 2.3%.
There are also other readings that can be drawn from above figures:

The North African market:

• The North African market consists mainly of Libyans and Algerians which contribute together to over 98% to its overall performance.
• Libyans have been topping the ranking in terms of arrival on boarders for the three years between 2011 and 2013 with over 2.2 million arrivals in 2013 thus representing more than 35% of total arrivals. The Average Annual Growth (AAG) of the Libyan market between 2011 and 2013 was 16.7%.
• While Algeria remains also a very important market for Tunisia with almost 1 million arrivals in 2013 (about 15% of total arrivals), Morocco and Mauritania inbound figures are still insignificant.   
• The flood of Libyans and Algerians in the last few years has been stimulated by the following:
• The geographical proximity: Most visitors cross the boarders using their own cars which gives them a better chance to explore the country at a lower cost.
• Cultural similarities.
• The suitability of the Tunisian touristic product, especially in terms of accommodation (family apartments, villas, etc.) and entertainment areas for families and children.
• Political reasons: Libya’s revolution has incited thousands of Libyan citizens to come to Tunisia either for medical purposes or as refugees. This has, of course, inflated Libyan inbound figures since 2011.

The European market:

• Traditional European markets such as France, Germany and Great Britain are still on top of the non-residents arrival, respectively first, second and third amongst Europe in 2013.
• Unlike the French market which ended up with an almost flat AAG rate between 2011 and 2013 due to the dramatic decrease in 2013 versus 2012 (-22.1%), the German and British markets both knew significant AAG rates during the same period with respectively 27.6% and 34.4%.
• While Italy and Belgium continued to occupy top rankings in terms of arrival between 2011 and 2013, significant efforts should be deployed by all Tunisian tourism stakeholders to shift shares from markets such as Switzerland, Netherlands and the Scandinavian market. The latter no longer appears, since the revolution of 2011, in the top 10 European ranking in terms of arrival on boarders.   
• Several other markets, mainly east Europeans, have been standing out in the last couple of years in terms of arrival such as Russia (fourth amongst Europe in 2013 with an AAG of 41.7% between 2011 and 2013), Czech Republic (AAG of 20% between 2011 and 2013) and Poland (despite a significant decrease in 2013 versus 2012 of 19.7%, it occupied the eighth position amongst Europe in 2013 with nearly 88 thousand visitors).

Other markets:
Other markets such as the North American market, the Middle-Eastern market or the Latin American market are still insignificant for Tunisia although they are valuable for many other inbound countries.

I.1.2 Average Length of Stay of non-residents (A.L.O.S.)

Table 2: Average Length Of Stay of non-residents between 2011 & 2013 (overnights)

Source: Tunisian National Tourist Office (TNTO)

• Table 2 highlights that the European market is the market with the highest Average Length Of Stay (A.L.O.S.) whether within the country (7.9 overnights in 2013 versus 7.8 in 2012 and 7.1 in 2011) or in hotels (7.7 overnights in 2013 versus 7.5 in 2012 and 7.7 in 2011). This is understandable since most Europeans visit the country for vacation purposes and get accommodated in hotels .
• The North African market, on the contrary, although crucial for Tunisia as an inbound market providing half of its arrival on-boarders, remains somehow less significant since many visitors are same-day visitors who just cross the boarders for very short stays or for quick business purposes. The A.L.O.S for North Africans in Tunisia has been of 0.6 overnights in 2013 with no major changes compared to 2012 and 2011 while the one in hotels has been of 2.8 overnights in 2013 versus respectively 2.6 and 2.9 overnights in 2012 and 2011. To be also noted, in this regard, that a considerable part of North African visitors (notably Algerians and Libyans) opt for private apartments rather than hotels.

I.2. Expenditures by market

Table 3: Total & Average Expenditure by market (2011 – 2013)

Source: Tunisian National Tourist Office (TNTO)

• Table 3 shows that the North African market, although important in volume, is not as important in terms of tourist receipts. In fact, a North African traveler spends on average about three times as less as what a European traveler spends: 269.3 TND per visitor as a three-year average for a North African compared to 783.6 TND per visitor as an average over the same three-year period for a European. Moreover, the Average Expenditure for North African travelers is decreasing from a year to another (AAG of -5% between 2011 and 2013) while the one for Europeans has been flat between 2011 and 2013 (AAG of 0.3%).
• Germans are the travelers who spend the most in Tunisia (1182.9 TND per visitor in 2013 with almost 2% of AAG from 2011 to 2013) followed by the British (901.7 TND per visitor in 2013 with a relatively flat AAG over the same period).
• Despite the depreciation of the Tunisian Dinar against the Euro and the USD since 2011, the Average Expenditure per visitor in Tunisia hasn’t grown: It knew a 5% increase in 2012 versus 2011 but, then, it decreased by 3.7% in 2013 versus 2012 which gave a very low Average Annual Growth between 2011 and 2013 of only 0.6%.

Table 4: Total & Average Expenditure for several competing destinations (2011-13)

Source: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

• Turkey was the only country whose AAG in terms of Average Expenditure per visitor between 2011 and 2013 was positive (3.1% with an Average Expenditure that reached 922.4 USD per visitor in 2013 versus 881.1 USD in 2012 and 868.4 USD per visitor in 2011).
• Egypt and Morocco had both a negative AAG in terms of Average Expenditure per visitor over the same period with respectively -9.7% and -8.4%. Egypt reached an Average Expenditure per visitor in 2013 of 766.3 USD versus 938.5 USD in 2012 and 948 USD in 2011 while Morocco reached 816.3 USD per visitor in 2013 versus 905.7 USD in 2012 and 974.2 USD in 2011.
• As far as Tunisia is concerned, alike Egypt and Morocco, its Average Expenditure per visitor also had a negative AAG during the same three-year period of -7% with 456.7 USD per visitor in 2013 versus 492.6 USD in 2012 and 528.5 USD in 2011.
• Although, a discrepancy is found between the Total & Average Expenditure figures provided for Tunisia in USD by the UNWTO and those provided in TND by the TNTO, this does not affect in any case the interpretation of figures. The cause of discrepancy might lie in the conversion rate utilized.
• Table 4 also highlights that Tunisia has the lowest Average Expenditure by visitor among its competing destinations. In fact, visitors traveling, for instance, to Egypt, Morocco or Turkey distinctly spend much money than those traveling to Tunisia: Based on a three-year average (2011 to 2013), a visitor spends in either Egypt, Morocco or Turkey about 1.8 times as much as what a visitor spends in Tunisia (884.3 USD per visitor for Egypt; 898.7 USD per visitor for Morocco and 890.7 USD per visitor for Turkey compared to only 492.6 USD per visitor for Tunisia). In other terms, if Tunisia had the same average expenditure per visitor than one of its three competitors, it would have reached the same tourist receipts with only half of its visitors.

The analysis of Expenditure raises two major topics:

• The first is related to the quality of clientele traveling to each country. In fact, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey seem to attract relatively higher profile visitors while tourism in Tunisia is mainly mass-driven. Thus, Tunisia should think of a long-term strategy to upgrade its image and generate more tourist receipts. Moreover, mass tourism can be an issue over the long term as it might cause the depletion of natural resources (water, energy, environmental issues, etc.) while its revenue is not enough to improve the infrastructure and contribute to social welfare.
• The second is related to the diversification of the tourism product. That is, para-hotel infrastructure, for instance, should be widely developed within the country in order to further boost expenditure (attractions, amusement parks, leisure complexes, events, etc.).

I.3. Domestic tourism contribution to destination performance
The domestic tourism has played a major role in stimulating the tourism sector within the destination. Tunisian residents share in domestic tourism counts for approximately 98% while the foreign residents share counts for about 2%.

Table 5: Hotel arrivals by nationality (thousands)

Source: Tunisian National Tourist Office (TNTO)

Table 6: Hotel overnights by nationality (thousands)

Source: Tunisian National Tourist Office (TNTO)

• Above figures confirm that domestic tourism has become a key contributor to Tourism growth in Tunisia. In fact, Tunisian hotels received almost 2 million residents in 2013, that is, the one-third (33%) of their total arrivals of the year, with a growth of 2.4% compared to 2012 and of 24.8% in 2012 compared to 2011.
• In terms of hotel overnights, domestic tourism ensured over 4 million overnights in 2013 with a 3%-growth compared to 2012 and a 20%-growth in 2012 compared to 2011. Although residents’ average length of stay in hotels is lower than the one of other nationalities, residents’ share in total hotel overnights remains considerable and irreplaceable (14.1% in 2013 versus 13.7% in 2012 and 16.6% in 2011).
• Despite the revolution Tunisia knew in early 2011 which dramatically deteriorated the economic conditions of the country and remarkably created a climate of uncertainty that resulted in inflationary pressure eroding incomes, spending power and consumer confidence, domestic tourism gathered quickly and remained strong and imposing in the post-revolution era. Pacemakers of domestic tourism include:
  – Changes in lifestyle: more Tunisians are seeing holiday as part of their standard of living.
  – The awareness of hoteliers of the potential the domestic tourism presents, in conjunction with the rise of Tunisian tour-operators and travel agencies, has prompted all stakeholders to work hand in hand in order to seize this potential and help it further grow.
  – The acceleration of the online booking, coupled with improved transportation infrastructure has also provided fertile ground for domestic travel to boom.

II. Portfolio analysis
Tunisia Portfolio Analysis consists in the study of three main variables:
1. The Average Annual Growth (AAG) of outbound tourism from selected markets between 2011 and 2013.
2. Tunisia’s Average Market Share for each inbound country between 2011 and 2013. That is, the sum of Tunisia’s inbound tourism from a particular market between 2011 and 2013 divided by the sum of outbound tourism of that market between 2011 and 2013.
3. Tunisia’s Average Guest-Mix between 2011 and 2013. This is obtained by dividing the sum of Tunisia’s inbound tourism from a particular market between 2011 and 2013 by the sum of Tunisia’s inbound tourism from all markets over the same period.

Based on the United Nations World Tourism Organization data, the calculation of above variables gives the following table:

Table 7: Destination Portfolio for Tunisia

Source of data: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

Multiple interpretations can be drawn from table 7 above:
North African market: Algeria
Algeria is an emerging market with a relatively high AAG (11.4%). Besides, it is an important market for Tunisia, not only because it represents 15% of its Average Guest Mix with almost 1 million visitors in 2013, thus marking a 30% growth compared to 2012, but also because Tunisia’s market share from that market is the highest among all other markets. In other words, Tunisia monopolizes 46.9% of Algeria’s outbound tourism.
As a conclusion, Tunisian tourism stakeholders should further work hand in hand in order to keep the destination as attractive as possible for Algerian travelers in future years. Besides, an in-depth study should be undertaken to enhance this market’s performance, notably in terms of expenditure.

Middle-Eastern market: Saudi Arabia and Oman
It is clear that Saudi Arabia and Oman are growing at a very rapid pace in terms of outbound destinations with respectively 12.4% and 24.6% of Average Annual Growth between 2011 and 2013. However, neither Tunisia’s Average Market Share nor its Average Guest Mix from these markets are significant. That is, while the average outbound from Saudi Arabia between 2011 and 2013 was approaching 18 million visitors and that from Oman was approaching 3 million visitors, Tunisia’s average inbound from these markets scarcely reached 5 thousand Saudis and almost 1 thousand Omanis. Tunisia should, then, investigate to better identify the needs of those travelers and their travel trends and, accordingly, implement a communication strategy to make itself as attractive as possible.

Traditional European markets:

• France, Italy, UK, Netherlands: These markets have been suffering the impact of the economic crisis between 2011 and 2013 which slowed their outbound Average Annual Growth.
• Although Tunisia’s Average Market Share of these markets is not so influential (except 3.3% for France, it is less than 1% for the three other markets), Tunisia still heavily depends on them and their contribution to the Average Guest-Mix is unavoidable. In fact, all of these markets figure among top European inbound destinations for Tunisia with almost 1.5 million arrivals on average from the four of them between 2011 and 2013 (i.e. the one-quarter of Tunisia’s Average Guest-Mix). France has been in the lead for years with 767 thousand arrivals in 2013 versus 985 thousands in 2012 and 808 thousands in 2011.
• While these markets remain doubtlessly strategic for Tunisia due to their geographical proximity, regular flight connections and the expanded activity of their tour-operators, Tunisia should avoid massive marketing investments on them since they somehow seem to have reached their maturity.
• Switzerland and Finland: Unlike previous markets, these two continue to grow as outbound destinations with an AAG of respectively 9.1% and 9.5% between 2011 and 2013 whereas Tunisia’s Market Share is minimal: On average between 2011 and 2013, Tunisia could just hardly attract 52 thousand Swiss travelers out of almost 12 millions (0.4% of average market share) and just 5 thousand Finnish travelers out of 8 millions (0.1% of average market share). Relevant studies should, therefore, be undertaken to understand the causes standing behind this. That is, either the destination is no longer of interest to Swiss and Finish travelers or there are several constraints that Tunisian tourism authorities should look into and solve (for instance, flight connections, lack of communication, etc.).
• Malta and Turkey: Although these are not considered as traditional European markets to Tunisia, they stood out as new outbound destinations with an AAG of respectively 8.4% and 11% between 2011 and 2013.
• While Malta remains a small market with an Average outbound between 2011 and 2013 of 334 thousand visitors, Turkey presents a significant potential with an average outbound over the same period of 6.5 million outbound visitors. Nonetheless, Tunisia’s market share from Turkey is too low (0.2%) with only about 14 thousand Turkish visitors on average between 2011 and 2013. Furthermore, the contribution of both markets (Malta and Turkey) to Tunisia’s Average Guest-Mix remains insignificant (respectively 0.0% and 0.2%).
• The geographical proximity, coupled with the easy flight connections and the partly common history with Malta and Turkey can offer Tunisia a favorable ground to develop inbound from both countries. Cultural tourism, for instance, can help bring these markets closer.

Eastern Europe:
Four huge emerging markets within Eastern Europe are growing rapidly and significantly as outbound destinations:

• Russia: Russian outbound tourism attained 54 million visitors in 2013 versus 47 millions in 2012 and 43 millions in 2011 hence marking an AAG between 2011 and 2013 of 11.2%. Although Russia figures amongst Tunisia’s top feeder markets with an Average Guest-Mix of 4.1% (almost 300 thousand visitors in 2013 versus 250 thousands in 2012 and about 152 thousands in 2011 thus growing at a very rapid pace), Tunisia’s market share from Russian outbound is still very timid and does not exceed 0.5% in spite of possessing, as a destination, the main components sought by Russian clientele: easy visa formalities, good value for money and a rich spa & thalassotherapy offering that meets Russian people’s ambition to a healthy lifestyle.
• Ukraine: Despite its recent geopolitical crisis and its deep impact on the country’s economy, Ukraine remains an important outbound market with almost 24 million visitors in 2013 versus 21 millions in 2012 and 19 millions in 2011 (9.6% of AAG). However, Tunisia’s market share from Ukraine outbound is minimal (0.1%) and so is Tunisia’s Average Guest-Mix (0.5%) with 40 thousand Ukrainian visitors in 2013 versus 26 thousands in 2012.
• Poland: It knew a considerable AAG of outbound tourism between 2011 and 2013 that attained 27.8% with over 10 million Polish visitors in 2013 versus 9 millions in 2012 and 6 millions in 2011. As far as Tunisia is concerned, it received 87 thousand Polish visitors in 2013 versus 109 thousands in 2012 and 97 thousands in 2011. While Tunisia’s market share is not influential (1.1%), Poland remains an important feeder market for Tunisia and it ensured 1.7% of its average Guest-Mix between 2011 and 2013.
• Belarus: Although Belarus is a smaller market, it is growing rapidly in terms of outbound tourism with an AAG between 2011 and 2013 of 48.8% : 708 thousand visitors in 2013 against 493 thousands in 2012 and 320 thousands in 2011. Its contribution to Tunisian Tourism is still imperceptible.

Baltic & Caucasus countries:

• Lithuania had a respectable outbound AAG with 7.6% between 2011 and 2013 and attained 1.7 million outbound travelers in 2013. This is a very significant figure for a country whose overall population is just around 3 millions.
• The three Caucasus countries Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are even growing at a more rapid pace:
  – Georgia had an AAG between 2011 and 2013 of 20%. While it overall population is around 5 millions, Georgia reached 3.2 million outbound travelers in 2013 against 2.7 millions in 2012 and 2.2 millions in 2011.
  – Armenia’s outbound tourism has grown by 23.6% between 2011 and 2013 attaining over one million outbound visitor in 2013.
  – Azerbaijan had an AAG (2011-2013) of 19.7%. Outbound tourism attained 3.3 million visitors in 2013 versus 2.8 millions in 2012 and 2.3 millions in 2011. This clearly reflects the emergence of outbound tourism in Azerbaijan whose population is around 9.3 millions.

Baltic and Caucasus countries will be surely among those that will revolutionize the international touristic scene in the next coming years. Tunisia, which is deprived from any market share on these markets, should therefore have its action plan ready to be up to the challenges and make itself known and attractive.

Asian markets:
China and Kazakhstan are amongst the most outstanding and imposing two outbound markets in Asia with respectively an AAG between 2011 and 2013 of 18.2% and 12.5%. These two markets became prominent and tempting for all inbound destinations:  

• China: Over 98 million Chinese traveled abroad in 2013 versus 83 millions in 2012 and 70 millions in 2011. This places China amongst the world’s top emerging outbound markets. Unfortunately, Tunisia’s market share from Chinese outbound market is still very insignificant (0.0%) with only 4 thousand Chinese visitors in 2013 against 3 700 visitors in 2012 and 11 thousand visitors in 2011 – (It should be noted that 2011’s figure is inflated by Chinese refugees who crossed Tunisia coming from Libya after the Libyan revolution)-. That is, although more and more Chinese people are traveling abroad every year, most of them opt for other destinations than Tunisia. This is seriously worrying and, consequently, all Tunisian tourism stakeholders should investigate the causes of this low performance and jointly undertake an action plan accordingly.
• Kazakhstan: For an overall population of 17 millions, almost 10 million Kazakhs traveled abroad in 2013 versus 8.8 millions in 2012 and 7.8 millions in 2011. This clearly reflects the potential of this market for which Tunisia hasn’t a market share yet (0.0%).

Latin American countries:  
Although distant, Latin American countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay are also becoming important outbound destinations with relatively high Average Annual Growth rates. Brazil, for instance, attained 8.6 million outbound visitors in 2013 versus 8.4 millions in 2012 and 7.8 millions in 2011 (AAG of 5.4%). Tunisia’s market share from Brazil is almost nil with scarcely 2 thousand visitors on average between 2011 and 2013.

Tunisia portfolio analysis can be summarized by the following chart (chart 1). The three variables of the analysis are represented as follows:

• Y-axis: The Average Annual Growth of outbound tourism from selected markets between 2011 and 2013.
• X-axis: Tunisia’s Average Market Share from selected markets between 2011 and 2013.
• Bubble size: Tunisia’s Average Guest-Mix between 2011 and 2013 for each of the selected markets.

Chart 1: Destination Portfolio for Tunisia (2011-2013)

III. Main results and recommendations:
III.1. Tunisia’s SWOT analysis
    
Destination Strengths:

• Proximity of Tunisia to Europe (the main outbound market in the world): Tunisia is reachable within two to three hours of flight from main European capitals.
• Good value for money.
• The diversity of the Tunisian tourism product: Culture and heritage, thalassotherapy & wellness, golf, Saharan tourism, business tourism apart from sun & sea tourism.

Destination Weaknesses:

• Although the total inbound of non-residents seems to be respectable (over 6 million visitors in 2013), the Tunisian tourism still suffers from many gaps. In fact, it generates low tourist receipts with an average expenditure per visitor less than 500 USD. Besides, about half of the visitors come from neighboring countries (mainly Libya) on very short visits or for just very particular purposes (business, medical, etc.).
• Poor infrastructure: Despite their relative progress in the last decade, road infrastructure and public transport network still constitute a serious obstacle to promote some sightseeing tours or to include several cities in some excursion plans.
• The country’s image is often associated to mass tourism which dissuades some potential clients to go and explore Tunisia.
• Low cost airline companies are not operational yet as the sky is not yet open in Tunisia. Being served by low cost companies will for sure stimulate Tunisia’s inbound tourism and reduce its dependence on Tour-Operators.  

Destination Opportunities:

• The new emerging markets such as Russia, Poland, China, Kazakhstan, etc. all offer huge opportunities that Tunisia’s tourism stakeholders should work on and seize.
• Tunisia’s Government long-held negotiations with Easy Jet (one of the most prominent European low cost companies) seem to have reached an agreement. In fact, Easy Jet recently announced that it integrated Tunisia in its network with two weekly flights that will connect London Stansted airport to Monastir Airport as of June 2015.   
• Traveling abroad and discovering new countries and cultures has become a compelling need. Tourism is perhaps the only sector with no life cycle.

Destination Threats:

• Fierce competition with many other inbound destinations such as Turkey, Morocco, Croatia, etc.
• The economic crisis in Europe deeply affects the overall inbound tourism.
• Political disputes, instability and security issues in many parts of the world all create an unfavorable climate of uncertainty.

III.2 Recommendations:
The Tunisian tourism product certainly possesses important development prospects. However, in-depth studies should be undertaken by tourism authorities in order to implement efficient market penetration strategies:

• Traditional European markets:

Markets like France, Germany, Italy and the UK are already mature as outbound destinations. Besides, Tunisia is known in these markets. Therefore, it should preferably avoid spending considerable marketing budgets. It is rather recommended, in this respect, to opt for targeted promotional campaigns destined to particular niche markets such as golfers, seniors, etc.

Furthermore, Tunisia should look for a new repositioning that breaks with its old image of mass tourism and focuses on other assets of the destination.

• North African Market:

Although arrival on boarders show that North Africans, notably Algerians and Libyans constitute more than half of Tunisia’s inbound tourism, this does not reflect the reality of this market. In fact, figures are inflated by same-day visitors. Moreover, the contribution of North Africans to tourist receipts is not influential.
This market requires from Tunisian tourism authorities and stakeholders more control and regulation to make it a healthier inbound market. An adequate marketing strategy should at least cover following actions:

• Promotional campaigns targeting families with children and honeymooners as this can boost the average length of stay as well as expenditures.
• Provide communication media in Arabic listing thoroughly the country’s accommodation types (hotels as well as private accommodations), main attractions, sites and places of interest.
• Pull factors: Create particular events or ceremonies such as gastronomic weeks, shopping festivals, North African music festivals…

• Emerging European and Asian markets:

Since these markets are showing important growth potential whether in Europe (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan) or in Asia (China, Kazakhstan), Tunisia should seize this opportunity by choosing its right communication strategy for each market.
At this stage, Tunisian tourism authorities should undertake in-depth market research in order to best define the exact travel needs for each market, in light of which, they should decide on Tunisia’s positioning. That is, the image they will seek to convey in each market.
Communicating on all markets the same way will be the biggest mistake to commit as this will push the destination not only to fail in arousing the interest of potential visitors, but also to fall again into the trap of mass tourism. In addition, to penetrate these markets properly and make sure all investments are worth it, it is   highly recommended to:

• Conceive and provide communication support in relevant languages such as, for instance, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, etc.
• Arrange appropriate training cessions on these countries to local tour guides and other involved tourism professionals to help them better understand their languages and cultures.
• Look for special agreements or partnerships with foreign airline companies to guarantee  flight connections at reasonable prices.
• Negotiate with foreign tourism stakeholders (authorities, airline companies or Tour-Operators) the possibility to create packages combining Tunisia with one or two other destinations. On the one hand, this will relieve visitors of long travel fatigue and will create additional demand by letting them take the most out of their trip. On the other hand, this will stimulate synergy effects between destinations and stakeholders in both countries.

The current world is experiencing political, economic, financial and technological changes that are directly affecting people’s travel needs and their perception of things. Moreover, the competition between a wide range of inbound destinations has become tough. So that Tunisia reinforces its place on the market, three critical success factors would apply:

1. Follow carefully different markets’ needs and new trends in the tourism industry.
2. Remain innovative by enriching the tourism product and raising its quality level.
3. Before any investment, just make sure to pick the right marketing strategy for implementation. This requires choosing the right target, the right positioning and the right action plan.

Mohamed Derouiche is an experienced hospitality professional and the Co-Founder of DEEMA Solutions ltd. He’s the author of several articles related to tourism and to the hospitality industry.

Mohamed Derouiche TDN

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