Tunisia seeks to increase Russian tourist flow

Trade and Tourism Minister Mehdi Houas and Russian Deputy-Foreign Minister Mikhail Bagdanov had talks, on Wednesday in Tunis, on Tourism co-operation and ways to develop economic exchanges between Tunisia and Russia. Tunisia, which hosts about 200,000 Russian tourists a year, while Egypt and Turkey hosts nearly 3 million, is seeking to increase this number to one million by 2016, said Mr. Houas. "Necessary measures will be taken to achieve this ambitious objective," Mr. Houas specified, adding that efforts are exerted to step up promotion and diversify offer so as to meet Russian tourists' expectations to the best. The current situation marked by stability and calm argue for lifting restrictions on Russian tourists' travel in the Tunisian south, the Tourism Minister underlined. Mr. Mikhail Bagdanov expressed, for his part, his Government's will to contribute to the economic progress of Tunisia "which today enjoys a good image among the Russian public authority and people," he said. The Russian minister will pay a visit to Djerba and Tozeur on November 30-December 1 to see the new reality in the southern region, said the Tourism Ministry.