Tunisia attack stirs fear

Hermes and Carla Pierrotti had come to Tunisia to get away from their hectic lives in Italy, hoping for a tranquil break in a country full of tourist treasures.
But when that peace was shattered Wednesday in an attack that killed 21 people at Tunisia's national museum, Carla ran to pack her bags.
"I was terrified and I wanted to leave Tunisia as soon as the attack happened. It was a real shock," she said. "I came to spend my holiday in peace and without any trouble."
Carla took some persuading to continue the holiday, but her husband even managed to convince her to go out the day after the attack.
"You need to defy the militants and not let them block the exchange of cultures between two countries," Hermes said after the couple visited Sidi Bou Said, a picturesque village north of Tunis popular with foreign visitors.
Wednesday's attack in the birthplace of the Arab Spring sparked by Tunisia's 2011 revolution unfolded in broad daylight at the capital's renowned National Bardo Museum.
Images of terrified visitors fleeing gunmen have raised fears the shooting could severely affect Tunisia's crucial tourist industry.
"Tunisians don't deserve what has happened because it's they that will suffer the consequences of this crime, especially those in the tourism sector," Carla said.
Matthieu Charbon arrived Wednesday evening in Tunis with his wife and son. They also decided they would stay.
"I'm not afraid! Attacks happen all over the world and even in the middle of Paris; it's just one of those things," Charbon said.
"We aren't going to stay at home just because there are attacks."
But in Sidi Bou Said, a village full of historic and cultural sights overlooking the sea, the normally bustling streets were virtually deserted and shop owners quick to voice their concern.
- 'Demoralised' -
"It was a very tough blow. All the shop owners here were hit hard by the crime yesterday... It looks bad for the days ahead," said Aymen Jebali, a 34-year-old craftsman.
Since the 2011 uprising, Tunisia has struggled to attract tourists as the country remains dogged by political and social unrest and battles a jihadist threat.
Last year's parliamentary and presidential elections -- hailed the world over as a democratic triumph among troubled Arab Spring countries -- gave hope to many in the tourist sector.
"Just when things were beginning to shift, and more and more tourist groups were coming, this horrific attack has pulled the rug from under our feet," said Hicham Ben Said, manager of Sidi Bou Said's famous Cafe Mats.
After the Bardo shooting, "tourists quickly left the cafe and didn't come back. Their faces were pale and afraid," he said.
"No one knows what will happen. It's really stressful."
Security measures have been boosted throughout the country and police checkpoints with identity checks have been rolled out along main roads around Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said.
But a worker from a five star hotel in the capital, who asked not to be named, said many guests had already called to cancel their reservations.
"There will be a very negative impact on all hotels for a while," he said. "This is now the image of Tunisia, which was hit just as it was beginning to recover."
Nine of the slain tourists were from the MSC Splendida cruise ship, whose owners said a special psychology unit had been set up for passengers.
In a blow to Tunisia's heavily tourism-dependent economy, at least two major cruise ship operators suspended stopovers in Tunis following the attack.
Source: AFP