Tunisia tourism recovery seems to be confirmed: the number of tourists making their way to the country skyrocketed by 46.2% between January and May 2017, compared to the data for 2016 during the same period – which translates to 1 527 891 tourists.
This season's beginning, according to the Tunisian National Tourism Office (ONTT) was namely marked by the sustained activity of the Maghreb market. In fact, according to the same source, the number of Maghrebi tourists increased by 60.2% between January and May 2017, relative to the same period in 2016 – totaling some 1 148 037 tourists.
The country’s Algerian neighbors are among those who helped to save the Tunisia tourism season, with no fewer than 628 350 Algerian tourists having visited Tunisia in the last 5 months.
As for European tourists, they accounted for only 17% of the total – 31.1% of whom where French and 45.1% German. Despite the restrictions on travel to Tunisia, some 8 943 British tourists made the journey.
These are promising indicators according to Afif Kchok, President of the Tunisia Tourism Observatory. In a statement, he nevertheless showed some caution with regard to this conjecture. “Even though the tourism forecast for 2017 looks promising, we must exercise some caution. In fact, despite a certain amount of improvement, Tunisia's image abroad remains sensitive,” he explained.
