“The results for the first quarter of this year exceeded the figures for the same period in 2019 by around 13%, as the number of arrivals reached 1.6 million tourists,” Tunisian Tourism Minister Mohamed Al said. – Moez Belhoucine.
He stressed that the aim is to get closer to the figures of the full year 2019, when the country welcomed 9.3 million tourists, including 2.7 million Europeans.
Lotfi Mani, central director of promotion at the National Tourism Office, said that Tunisia, like other countries in the world, experienced a complete paralysis of tourist activity for more than two years, and continued : “But with the middle of 2022, we have turned the page on the Corona pandemic.”
Mani added that from May last year, the normal pace of tourism activity gradually returned and the Ministry of Tourism has achieved the goals it set for itself in 2022, as it was able to reach about 60% of the rates for the year 2019 while the reference year.
The authorities hope that the tourism sector will reach good figures this season, which will help revive the economy, which is suffering from a serious crisis, exacerbated by the Corona pandemic, which has led to the bankruptcy of a large number of tourist establishments and the loss of thousands of their jobs.
Mane added that the current year is going in the same direction as last year’s expectations, and perhaps better thanks to the reservation system.
He explained that good figures were recorded until May 10, with the number of arrivals reaching two million and 400 thousand tourists, an increase of around 93.5% compared to the same period in 2022, which is very slightly lower than the 2019 figures at a rate of 0.6%.
He added that the number of tourist nights exceeded four million as of May 10, an increase of around 57% over last year, but it is 24% less than 2019 rates.
Tunisia’s tourism sector is one of the most important pillars of the economy, contributing more than seven percent of the country’s gross domestic product and providing 400,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.
Cautious optimism
Ahmed Bettayeb, president of the Tunisian Association of Travel Agencies, believes that the Tunisian destination has regained its attractiveness and is moving in a positive direction, which has led to a 30% increase in bookings at present compared to the last. before-COVID-19 reference year 2019.
Bettayeb said that the positive indicators recorded should not overshadow the challenges and problems facing travel agencies and the tourism sector at present, such as the shortage of the bus fleet, the difficulty of obtaining licenses to supply and renew the transport fleet, and the lack of “skilled” labor in several tourist specialties, as well as the fact of not involving the private sector in matters related to the tourism sector in Tunisia before to make decisions.
This was indicated by Dora Milad, President of the Tunisian Hotel Association, confirming that she is optimistic about the recovery experienced by the Tunisian tourism sector this year, after two years of stagnation, but this improvement depends the development of services.
Revenues from the Tunisian tourism sector, from the beginning of the year until March 2023, recorded an increase of 66%, compared to the results recorded during the same period last year, according to official data published by the Central Bank. from Tunisia.
Dorra Milad mentioned that despite the positive indicators, the tourism sector suffers from several difficulties, including the conditions of transport by land, sea and air, and the lack of improvement in infrastructure, not only in terms of equipment, but even at the organizational level, she says.
Sector players hope that Tunisian tourism will return to its previous state, and that the country will regain its position as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, due to its unique characteristics.
On the other hand, they are calling for more support for this vital sector, whose development and prosperity are reflected in several other sectors.
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