Tunisian tourism witnesses a steady decline

Tunisian city Monastir A study released by the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts indicates a decrease in the number of tourists coming to Tunisia in the last year, 2011. This decline specifically included the traditional markets , as French market witnessed a decline of 42%, as well as German tourists whose numbers dropped by more than 43%, and around 80% for Spanish tourists. The ministry attributed the decline to a state of lawlessness that swept many parts of the country during the escape of the former president, in addition to the large number of sit-ins and protests that have affected the sector, taking into account the crisis of the Euro. In spite of the recession taking place in many touristic areas, which led to many workers losing their jobs, the Maghreb market gradually contributed to the income recovery of the sector so that resources reached €1.1442 billion, by December 20 of last year compared to € 1.705 billion, in the same period of 2010.
Libya alone has provided more than 1.5 million tourists in 2011, 11.2% below 2010. Reasons for visiting vary between health tourism, escaping the war between the rebels and the militias, and for enjoyment after the fall of Gaddafi. As usual, Algerians also visited in big numbers beach side resorts. According to the tourism ministry, there were more than 625 thousand tourists in 2011, compared to 911 thousand in 2010.
Even with those numbers, figures show a crisis affecting the sector, particularly in terms of the number of nights spent, which fell by more than 70% in the southern regions, known for its desert nature. Sousse, Djerba, Zarzis, Nabeul and Hammamet thriving beaches, all fell by more than 40 %. The lowest rate of decline is in the coast of Carthage in Tunis, where it did not exceed 17.1%.
Investors assert that the security element remains a prerequisite to maintain the tourism in Tunisia, and link the sector restoring balance in the year 2012, to the success of the revolution in marketing the Tunisian tourism around the world, and into new markets. They are waiting to see the plan introduced by the ministry.
In this context, Saleh Al-Qirbi, an expert in the field of tourism says, "The success of the touristic season requires providing stability and security, lifting the state of emergency, and launching a promotional campaign, as well as Increasing the diversify of the touristic product, not only focusing on just marine tourism."
It is noteworthy that the tourism sector employs about 400 thousand workers and provides nearly 50% of hard currency.