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TUNISIA-TOURISM
Tunisia sees tourism take off after terror fears
HAMMAMET, Tunisia, July 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Holidaymakers are returning
to the Tunisian seaside this summer in a marked turnaround three years since
dozens of tourists were killed on one of the country’s beaches.
Relaxing by the pool with a whiskey in hand, Steve was thrilled with the
affordability of his 10-day break.
“The same price I (would) stay for four days in Paris or Amsterdam. It’s
cheaper to be here. You have got everything,” said the IT engineer,
holidaying in Tunisia’s Hammamet.
Just three years ago in the nearby coastal resort of Sousse, 38 people were
killed in a shooting rampage targeting tourists, while earlier in 2015 an
attack on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis left 22 people dead.
The terror attacks decimated Tunisia’s crucial tourism sector, which made
up seven percent of gross domestic product and had already been shaken by the
country’s 2011 revolution.
Tour operators scrapped their package holidays and numerous countries
warned their citizens against travelling to the North African nation.
Tunisia remains under a state of emergency and an attack this month along
the border with Algeria, which left six members of the security forces dead,
is a reminder of the challenge the country faces.
The authorities have been working hard to draw foreign visitors back to
their sandy shores and, in recognising the improved security situation,
numerous embassies have overturned their 2015 travel notices.
Surveillance cameras have been installed in holiday hotspots, while private
security staff are stationed at beach entrances and armed police patrol
tourist zones.
– ‘Real recovery’ –
The measures appear to be working, with the tourism ministry registering
more than three million visitors in the first half of 2018, surpassing
arrivals in the first six months of the benchmark year 2010.
“It’s the year for real recovery,” Tourism Minister Selma Elloumi Rekik
said in May.
“In 2018 we will exceed eight million arrivals with growth in the Russian
and Chinese market, as well as that of the traditional market,” notably of
French and German tourists, she told AFP.
Tour operator Thomas Cook, which suspended its Tunisia holidays in the wake
of the June 2015 attack, resumed operations in February and said it has more
than tripled summer flights due to customer demand.
The number of British tourists has more than doubled since last year, with
over 30,000 holidaymakers between January and May, according to the British
embassy.
“Honestly, I recommend coming to Tunisia, drop Spain and the Canary
Islands,” said Steve, who had travelled from Ireland for the “guaranteed
sun”.
“I feel safe here,” he added at the poolside.
– Russian holidaymakers –
Tourism is crucial to the country’s economy and the return of foreign cash
comes at a vital time, as Tunisians grapple with high unemployment, inflation
and the falling value of the dinar.
Seeking to attract holidaymakers from further afield, Tunisia saw the first
charter flights arrive from China after lifting visa requirements for Chinese
travellers.
The tourism ministry has also taken advantage of Tunisia’s participation in
the World Cup, launching advertising campaigns in the Russian cities where
the team played matches.
But although the uptick in tourism has been welcomed, hoteliers are still
waiting to see the financial benefits.
“In terms of profitability it’s wide of the mark,” said Haikel Akrout,
director of the four-star Khayam hotel which is popular among Russian
tourists.
Holiday prices have fallen for tourists, while their hosts are absorbing
the increasing costs of essentials such as food and fuel.
Tourism revenue reached 1.29 billion dinars ($490 million, 420 million
euros) for the first half of this year, falling short of earnings for the
same period in 2010, while the number of nights booked is significantly
lower.
While Europeans stayed away, Akrout began looking elsewhere for guests:
“Before 2015 we worked a lot on the European market, but afterwards new
markets opened up: Algerian, Russian.”
With his children playing on a huge swimming pool slide, Russian engineer
Sergei said he is one such newcomer to the Tunisian coast.
“I think that I will recommend this hotel to my friends,” he said, praising
the service and price of his holiday, before he returns to his city of Tver,
northwest of Moscow.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0821 hrs