The Covid-19 pandemic and border closures have heavily impacted tourism in Tunisia, as in the rest of the world. From January to August of this year 2020, the country recorded the visit of 1 661 843 tourists against 6 295 072 tourists during the same period of the previous year, a decrease of 73.6%.
Inflows of foreign non-residents amounted to 1,212,870, a 76.8% drop and represent 73% of the total volume of inbound travelers. The arrivals of Tunisians living abroad are also in decline by 57.7% with 448 973 entries. They represent 27% of the overall entries.
Europeans: -84,9%
The European markets all together showed a drop of 84.9% with the entry of only 303,424 tourists against 2,014,056 tourists during the same period of the previous year. The European market accounts for 18.3% of the overall entries. The drop is heavy in the various European markets ranging from 56.7% for Maltese to 99.6% for Ukrainians.
As for the classic markets, the French fell by 69.6% with 194,118 entries, the Germans totaled 25,513 entries, a drop of 86%, the Italians: -74.9% (21,935 entries) and the British dropped by 93.4% with 10,607 entries.
North Africans: -71.7%
The Maghreb market is strongly affected since it recorded only 868,486 entries, a negative difference of 71.7% and representing 52.3% of the overall entries. Algeria, an important market for Tunisia, fell sharply by 77.6% with 398 119 entries. The Libyans declined by 63.6% with a volume of 452 644 entries. Moroccans, who totaled 14 302 entries, were 67.7% lower. Mauritanians recorded 3,421 entries, a negative difference of 74.4%.
On the other hand, the Middle East recorded a decrease of 74.7% with 8,433 entries.
In the distant markets, North Americans, who totaled 9,087 entries, were down by 72.7%: Canadians: 4,350 entries (-71%) and Americans: 4,737 entries (-74.1%).
12,675 entries of Africans were recorded, a drop of 61.9%. Chinese inflows, which amounted to 4,179, were also curbed by a 79% decline.
While Tunisia, as well as Egypt, have been opened to foreign travelers since the beginning of the summer, Morocco only recently announced that they will reopen the borders for international travelers this week to 67 countries including the United States. All visitors arriving in Morocco must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test no older than 48 hours.
All countries in the region attempt to save the tourism industry. although the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases are still not very encouraging.