Despite various crises, the Tunisian tourism industry has shown remarkable resilience, partly because Algerian tourists comprise the country's largest group of foreign visitors.
Despite the heavy impact of the COVID-19 health crisis restrictions, the Tunisian tourism industry saw a significant recovery in 2023. With 8.8 million foreign tourists visiting the country, about a 50% increase compared to the previous year and surpassing the 2019 level of 8.7 million, the sector generated revenues of 6.7 billion Tunisian dinars, equivalent to nearly 2 billion euros. This year, authorities are optimistic, anticipating an even higher number of visitors, with forecasts by the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT) projecting 9.6 million visitors.
As of May 31, foreign exchange inflows from the Tunisian tourism sector have increased by 7.9%, and the number of tourists has also risen by 6%.
The tourism authority welcomes the strong return of Tunisia to European markets, particularly in Eastern Europe, Armenia, Moldova, Romania, Germany, and Italy.
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine and the resulting flight disruptions affecting prices, many Russians are visiting Tunisia.
Notably, the first group of foreign visitors is from neighboring Algeria, in addition to the local market that Algeria represents. It's worth mentioning that in 2023, 2.7 million Algerians visited Tunisia, almost one-third of the total tourists entering the country. Moreover, from January 1 to July 10, 2024, over 1.4 million Algerians traveled to Tunisia for tourism, according to Foued Eloued, the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT) representative in Algeria. Additionally, Libya, another neighboring country, provided the second-largest number of visitors to Tunisia in 2023, with 2.1 million visitors.
France is one of the countries whose tourists contribute to the Tunisian tourism industry. However, there has been a decline since the outbreak of the Gaza's war on October 7. FTAV (the Tunisian Federation of Travel and Tourism Agencies) president states that Tunisia offers better value for money than many other destinations, including Greece, France, Spain, Morocco, and Egypt.