Those in charge of the tourism sector in Tunisia aspire to reach 10 million tourists during the current year, to exceed the number recorded in 2023 (8 million tourists) and the figures of the reference year 2019, which expressed the peak of the tourism boom in Tunisia with 9 million tourists.
Ayman Rahmani, Director of Studies and International Cooperation at the Tunisian Tourism Office, confirmed that 5.8 million tourists arrived in Tunisia from the beginning of the year until mid-August, with the sector recording a growth of around 6.7 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
European tourists contributed primarily to the recovery of Tunisian tourism, as their number reached 1.77 million European tourists, in addition to Algerian tourists.
Al-Rahmani said in statements to Sky News Arabia that Tunisia has attracted 1.8 million Algerian tourists since the beginning of the year, as the number of tourists coming from Algeria witnessed an increase of 16.9 percent compared to the same period last year and 26.2 percent compared to the same period in 2019, stressing that Tunisia has also regained the traditional European markets that it lost as a result of the Corona pandemic.
Those who follow the tourism sector in Tunisia consider that the Algerian market, like the domestic market, has always been an important source of support for the sector in Tunisia, even during times of crisis, because citizens of neighboring Algeria frequently flock to Tunisia for tourism, recreation, and treatment, as the Tunisian market is the first market preferred by Algerian tourists.
A recovery that supports job opportunities
On the other hand, the official of the Tunisian Tourism Office, Ahmed Al-Rahmani, explained that the sector provides 400 thousand jobs in Tunisia and contributes nearly 9 percent to the gross domestic product directly and indirectly, and that the sustainability of the tourism sector achieves greater benefits for the economy.
It is worth noting that the Corona crisis led to the loss of thousands of jobs in the tourism sector, which Tunisia worked to restore in the past seasons by investing in the training of specialized workers.
The World Travel and Tourism Council’s Economic Impact Research data expected that the tourism sector would pump 23 billion dinars into the Tunisian economy in 2024, with the amount expected to reach more than 32 billion dinars over the next 10 years, with appropriate support from the government.
The Council also expected that the tourism figures that Tunisia will achieve in 2024 will be record-breaking in terms of economic contribution, job creation, and domestic tourism, expecting the tourism sector to employ more than 485,000 people by 2034, and achieving domestic tourism growth by increasing Tunisian spending by 5 percent compared to 2023 to reach 11.7 billion Tunisian dinars, and increasing foreign tourist spending to 11 billion Tunisian dinars, achieving an increase of 12 percent over 2023.
The Executive Director of the World Travel and Tourism Council, Julia Simpson, said that tourism in Tunisia has recovered, although foreign tourist spending remains weak. However, the flexibility of the tourism sector allows it to continue its vital role in driving the national economy.
Digital advertising for the Tunisian destination
For its part, the Ministry of Tourism revealed this week that it is preparing a digital communication plan to promote Tunisian tourism for the period 2025-2027, based on artificial intelligence and data analysis, in a step aimed at enhancing the Tunisian destination on the global tourism map, and completing what the ministry started this year within the project to digitally promote the Tunisian destination via social media platforms.
The Ministry of Tourism indicated in a statement that enhancing the digital presence of the Tunisian destination across various global platforms, focusing on the use of modern technology and artificial intelligence, intensifying the use of social media, and attracting influential global figures for digital advertising of the Tunisian destination comes within its plan to invade new markets and attract new customers who have become more present and interactive through digital platforms.
In press statements, Minister of Tourism Moez Belhassine considered that the digital promotional plan is an update of marketing mechanisms to keep pace with the global changes witnessed by the tourism industry at the international level.
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