Tourism in Tunisia - Revenues Up Despite Global Crisis

posted on: Aug 7, 2009

Early this year, Tunisian Tourism Minister Khélil Lajimi said that he was optimistic as to the sector’s capacity to weather the consequences of the world economic crisis, despite the “lack of visibility for the year 2009 and late bookings by European travellers.”

Mr Lajimi added in addition to the setting up of a monitoring unit in each of the representations abroad of the Tunisian tourist board (ONTT), the ministry will continue the intensive promotion of tourism, as well as improving its quality and services.

The upgrading of hotels will also be pursued he said, targeting an additional 200 hotels. He noted that some 18 hotels were closed in 2008 for their non-conformity with hygiene and quality standards.

The Minister also said that 2008 had been a record year for the country’s tourist industry, as shown by the record number of tourists who visited the country (7 million). A growth of 4, 2% which yielded 1,876 million Euros of benefits, he said.

In June, Mr Taleb Rifai the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) said that Tunisia is called upon to boost its promotional campaigns as a favorite southern Mediterranean destination, adding that southern Mediterranean destinations must exert more efforts to preserve their market shares, especially in the context of the current global economic downturn.

In spite of the drop in demand on the world scale and in Europe in particular, the WTO Secretary said there will be no still stand in terms of tourist flow. Projections are tabling on a growth of between 1 and 2% in North Africa, as against a world growth situated between 0 to -3% in 2009, he said.

The decrease in tourist demand will continue in 2009 and perhaps through 2010 said Mr Rifai who noted that in 2008, the WTO recorded 924 million tourists throughout the world, a record number, he said.

Destination for golfers

Tunisia which is ranked by the leading French golf tour operators’ magazine “Greens du Monde” the world’s 4 th golf destination, is ambitioning to become the top golfing destination for 6 million European golfers.

The International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) president Mr Peter Walton said that Tunisia has many assets enabling it to achieve this goal, these include an appropriate climate, as well as expertise terms of tourism infrastructure.

He stressed Tunisia’s capacity to develop golf tourism, through the setting up of golf courses in all of the country’s tourist resorts, noting that golf represents “a promising niche for an affluent segment of visitors who are also likely to spend more.”

Maha Karim
Global Arab Network