Tourism
From The Report: Tunisia 2016
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In the years leading up to 2011, Tunisia was a popular destination for many European holidaymakers in search of a nearby, safe and affordable sun and sea destination. For more than 40 years, Tunisia’s resorts in beachside cities like Sousse and Hammamet had catered to a primarily package tourist crowd, attracting visitors from France, Germany, Italy and the UK. The country’s attractions are unique – from the ksours (castles) of Tataouine to the beaches of Djerba to the ruins of Carthage – however, recent years have proven challenging. The 2011 revolution led to a drop in visitor numbers in the immediate aftermath in turn exacerbating structural issues, such as a lack of diversified offerings. This was further impacted by a pair of terrorist incidents in 2015, which slowed the pace of the industry’s recovery from the 2011 revolution. However, while the short-term outlook is somewhat uncertain, the efforts adopted by the government under Vision 3+1, provide cause for optimism in the medium to long term. The ability of the sector to diversify its offerings and provide a wider selection of accommodation and activities should help buffer revenues in the future and ensure a more sustainable growth trajectory. This chapter contains an interview with Radhouane Ben Salah, President, Tunisian Federation of Hoteliers.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Reversing a trend: New initiatives and reforms are being formulated to help boost the number of visitors
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In the years leading up to 2011, Tunisia was a popular destination for many European holidaymakers in search of a nearby, safe and affordable sun and sea destination. For more than 40 years, Tunisia’s resorts in beachside cities like Sousse and Hammamet had catered to a primarily package tourist crowd, attracting visitors from France, Germany, Italy and the UK. Accounting for around 7% of GDP and constituting a source of employment for more than 400,000 people, the sector has grown to become a…

Analysis

Striking a balance: After a turbulent few years, the sector is drawing on the lessons it has learned
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Prior to the 2011 revolution, political stability and low-cost all-inclusive packaged holidays turned Tunisia into a safe, affordable and sunny destination for holidaymakers. But, while it ensured regular tourist flows to the country every year, their numbers only evolved by 2m in the decade leading to 2010, increasing from 5m to just 7m, which is slow if compared to other Mediterranean markets like Morocco and Egypt, where visitor numbers during the same period increased from 4m to 9m and 5m to…

Interview

Modern tourism: OBG talks to Radhouane Ben Salah, President, Tunisian Federation of Hoteliers
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Interview:Radhouane Ben Salah What are the main reforms that need carrying out in the tourism sector today? RADHOUANE BEN SALAH: There is a need to upgrade the existing products in the Tunisian tourism sector. Also, service quality needs improving, and new training centres should be established, in line with the expectations of the modern tourism industry. Existing hotel staff should also be subjected to training programmes annually to ensure their skills are in line with the needs of the…

Analysis

Sky links: An open skies agreement with the EU will see the aviation industry grow in scope
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Around two-thirds of Tunisia’s air traffic is generated by tourist arrivals, which means the aviation sector tends to be heavily impacted by the ebbs and flows of visitor numbers. For instance, in the first half of 2015 – following a pair of terrorist incidents in popular tourist areas – the number of travellers across Tunisian airports fell 21.5% compared to the same period in 2014. The country is well endowed in terms of aviation infrastructure, with eight airports, including five providing…