Tunisian tourism in the grip of COVID-19

The Tunisian tourism industry, despite the fact that the country's borders have been opened to international tourists without any restrictions since the end of June, is in a state of crisis.

The first tourists from Europe, who account for the majority of tourists in Tunisia, arrived in the country only at the end of July after the quarantine measures were lifted.

As of September 20, only 330,000 Europeans were on vacation in Tunisia. Citizens of Algeria and Russia, who are also among the top three people who like to relax in Tunisia, could not come because of the epidemiological situation in their countries.

According to the President of the Tunisian hospitality federation Khaled Fakhfakh, "the situation is very bad, if not catastrophic": in July-September Tunisia received about 1.7 million tourists - 75% less than in the same period in 2019. 60 % of Tunisian hotels remain closed.

Tourism accounts for about 14% of Tunisia's GDP, and more than 400,000 people were employed in the industry before the crisis.