At the end of October 2022, the influx of foreign tourists in Tunisia has recorded real progress compared to the forecasts of an optimistic scenario expecting a decline of 40% compared to 2019.
The Tunisian tourism sector has managed to take 64.6% of the indicators of 2019 despite the reproaches related to the quality of services and increased prices. The prices of airline tickets to Tunisia have recorded, in November 2022, an increase of 24% compared to September 2019, according to a study conducted by MisterFly.
However, similar destinations like Egypt and Greece increased air ticket prices only by 3%. The increase in airfares is expected to have a positive impact on the domestic market in Tunisia.
Globally, the tourism sector has seen a remarkable increase for the off-season, despite a 35% drop from 2019.
The recovery of tourism numbers does not hide a fragility in the quality of services in Tunisia that have been impacted by the lack of investment and innovation in tourism establishments, on the one hand, and the great lack of human resources, on the other hand.
However, experts believe that the return of the Tunisian tourist destination on the world markets is still weak as it relies on the same classic product and adopts the same promotional strategies.
In this context, it calls for the need to continue to develop the sector, especially in terms of competitiveness, attracting investment and improving the quality of services.
On the other hand, experts point out that the difficulties of the natural gas supply of European countries due to the war between Russia and Ukraine could be a favorable factor for the influx of foreign tourists in Tunisia.
Also due to the war in Ukraine, there is an absence of campaigns for advertising or promotion of the destination. The real magnitude of the impact of this factor on tourism demand, particularly in European markets, will be evident during January 2023.