The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) has published, last Tuesday, new data, updates, monetary and financial indicators of the country. The cumulative tourism revenues did not exceed 1.7 billion dinars at the end of September, i.e. a fall of 59.7% during the first nine months of the year against revenues worth 4.3 billion dinars (about US$ 1.6 billion) during the same period in 2019.
Since May, tourism receipts have been steadily declining and have recorded a 60% drop as of September 10, 2020, having generated revenues of no more than 1.5 billion dinars.
A drop in tourism revenues of 61% in August 2020 had been recorded to reach 1.4 billion dinars, compared to 3.7 billion dinars on the same date last year. By the end of July 2020, they had fallen by 56% to 1.2 billion dinars, compared to 2.8 billion during the same period last year.
According to these data, tourism revenues continue to decline due to the coronavirus crisis. They fell from 27% in May 2020 to 47% at the end of the first half of 2020, compared to June 2019.
Tunisian tourism has been heavily impacted by the coronavirus crisis. To mitigate the consequences of this crisis, several measures had been taken with the main objective being the return of tourism in early July.
The Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts was expecting losses of 6 billion dinars (about US$ 2.2 billion) and even more and according to him the impact of the coronavirus epidemic is expected to be very severe.
However, he said he was optimistic despite the delicacy of the situation and had mentioned the possibility of saving the summer season and be able to reach half of last year's income, about 2600 million dinars (about US$ 1 billion).
This is not the opinion of the Tunisian federation of the hotel industry (FTH) which had estimated that there will be no tourist season this year because of the new procedures for entry into Tunisia.