Post-terror Tunisia beckons tourists

Tunisia expects to attract 5.5 million foreign tourists this year, about the same as last year, after increasing security at hotels and focusing on new markets to counter the fallout from militant attacks.

Tourism Minister Salma Elloumi Rekik says she is urging European leaders to support Tunisia’s young democracy by lifting warnings against travel to the North African state issued after a gunman attacked a Tunisian resort hotel in June 2015.

She said there were positive signs that airline bookings were beginning to recover, and Tunisia was hoping to lure additional travellers with new holiday tours such as desert safaris and cosmetic medical tourism.

Tourism accounts for eight per cent of gross domestic product in Tunisia and is a key source of foreign currency and jobs for Tunisians, who overthrew Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a 2011 uprising.

In 2015 tourist arrivals fell to 5.5 million, the lowest level in decades, after several European tour companies and cruise operators suspended operations in the wake of the Sousse attack. Tourism revenues fell 35 per cent to $US1.5 billion ($A1.97 billion).

Thirty-eight tourists, mostly British, were killed by an Islamist gunman who opened fire at the hotel in Sousse, three months after 21 tourists were killed by gunmen attacking the Bardo National Museum in the capital, Tunis.

The Islamic State militant group claimed both attacks.

The fall in tourism revenues contributed to a slowdown in economic growth to 0.8 per cent from 2.3 per cent a year earlier, according to official data.

Elloumi Rekik said that despite difficulties, which continued at the start of 2016, there were indications visitor figures would be no lower than in 2015.

Flight reservations were up, some international tour companies were coming back to Tunisia and new tourist markets were growing, she said.

“We aim to attract at least 5.5 million tourists like last year … There are some early bookings and indications that last-minute bookings will rise with the continued stability of the security situation.”

But more than 100 hotels had closed since the Sousse attack, she said, while some foreign tour groups had cancelled some routes, cruises and packages.

The government in 2015 said 1000 more armed tourism police would patrol hotels and tourism sites. A state of emergency declared by President Beji Caid Essebsi had been extended, giving the executive and military more emergency powers to tackle militant threats.

Tunisia’s Central Bank in April said tourism revenue in first two months of 2016 fell to 182 million dinars ($A115 million), 54 per cent down on the corresponding period in 2015.

But Elloumi Rekik said Tunisia was diversifying by promoting cultural tourism, Sahara safari trips and medical tourism packages – giving European patients access to less costly therapeutic and cosmetic treatments in Tunisia.

She said the government also expected Tunisia would enter an Open Sky aviation liberalisation agreement with Europe by the end of 2016, or by January 2017 at the latest, which would help bring more travellers and tourists to Tunisia from next year.

Tunisia began negotiations after the 2011 revolution with the European Union on the open-skies agreement, but concerns about the competitive impact on Tunisia’s national carrier TUNISAIR caused delays.

“Negotiations have reached an important step,” she said.

The minister said Tunisia had also started work to make visa procedures easier for several countries, including launching in a few months an electronic visa to help cut down on bureaucracy.

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