Tunisian tourism has yet to return to levels seen during the Ben Ali era. The industry has shrunk by 14.2 per cent since the revolution.
TUNIS – A new tourism plan unveiled on Tuesday calls for promoting Tunisia as a new beach destination and opening new markets – notably in the Persian Gulf and Asian countries – while keeping a focus on the traditional European market.
As many as 7 million tourists could visit Tunisia in 2013, Tourism Minister Jamel Gamra said last month. “The plan that I have adopted includes a change in priorities for organising the sector, variation of the tourism product and the use of new technologies in marketing,” Gamra told Mosaique FM.
According to the Tunisian National Tourism Office (ONTT), at least 2.6 million tourists entered the country in the first half of 2013. The figure marks a 4.8 per cent increase from last year.
Revenue from tourism also grew by 1.3 million dinars (581,181 euros) – or 0.2 per cent – compared with the same period in 2012, the ONTT reported.
Gamra said he expected tourism revenue to keep growing because of the pace of hotel bookings.
Tunisian tourism workers welcomed the news, expressing relief that the numbers pointed to a long-awaited recovery. Many said they hoped that the trend would continue and that national stability and security would allow their industry to bounce back fully.
“Thank God we have the influx of tourists this year and did not record any vacancies during the month of July, as the percentage of bookings for the month of August has reached 80 per cent up until now,” Hamammet hotel worker Jaber Al Hilali told Magharebia.
“We rejoiced with the return of tourists to our country,” Tunis travel agency employee Zahra Obeidi said. “We receive daily demands to visit our country, especially from European countries. This indicates the return of security, and we are very optimistic. “
And with the summer season under way, Tunisia is again seeing visitors. “We followed all the hot events that occurred in Tunisia but that did not make us afraid. Everything is at its best and we are enjoying our time,” said Ibrahim al-Qabali, who came with his family from Algeria for the holiday season.
Tourism is one of Tunisia’s largest generators of foreign currency income and the second largest employer behind agriculture. It represents about 7% of the gross national income (GNI) and employs 350,000 people.
Another two million jobs are tied indirectly to the industry, which covers 60% of the Tunisian trade deficit.
The Tunisian government recognises that the tourist industry has far to go on the road to recovery. Officials have assured the sector that marketing campaigns aimed at promoting Tunisia’s new image would help bring back tourists.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
