The Tourism Crisis in Tunisia Goes Beyond Security Issues - Carnegie
The number of tourists who visited Tunisia in 2011 did not exceed three million. This contrasts with the over seven million visitors to the country in each of the three years preceding the revolution.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/The-Tourism-Cri...
Despite an improvement in tourism arrivals in Tunisia the stability was shaken by the recent riots and the curfew imposed by the Tunisian government writes Lahcen Achy in an article for the Carnegie Middle East Centre which appeared first in Al Monitor.
Some tourists cancelled their visits and an survey in the tourism trade magazine Travel Weekly showed that British tourists were less likely to visit Tunisia than Egypt.
Decline in Tunisian tourism revenue affects other sectors of the economy as well, Achy observes.However, as well as security issues Tunisian tourism has been deeply affected by the policies pursued under the Ben Ali regime.The over concentration on beach resort tourism led to middle class and middle aged tourism from the EU which resulted in low tourism revenues.
Data from the World Tourism Organization (WTO) show that the average per capita spending of tourists coming to Tunisia does not exceed $385, the lowest among all touristic destinations on the Mediterranean coast.
Average per capita spending for tourists visiting Morocco is $725, while it is $770 in Turkey, $890 in Egypt and $1000 in Greece, Lahcen Achy observes.There was a lack of concentration on cultural and adventure tourism because the Ben Ali regime wanted to keep tourists confined to the beaches. Tourism like everything else under Ben Ali was tightly controlled by the regime.
Tourism investors with close contacts with the regime benefitted from large contracts, others did not.During the decade preceeding the jasmine revolution Tourists arrivals in Tunisia grew from 5 to 7 miullion whereas in Morocco they grew from 5 to 9 million over the same period.Turkey 's tourism doubled and Egypt's grew by a factor of 2.5
As well as security and stability Lahcen Achy says Tunisia needs to change its tourism strategy by recognising demographic changes. The Eurozone crisis is changing tourism patterns and Europeans are travelling less frequently for financial reasons.
There is an increased emphasis and demand for cultural tourism and the WTO estimates that 40 per cent of global tourism is now devoted to cultural activities which are more profitable than beach tourism.Secondly Tunisia has to recognise that European tourism which used to provide 80 per cent of its tourism can no longer do so because of the financial crisis. They need to attract Asian and Latin American tourists who have a greater disposable income.
Tunisia's tourism minister Elyes Fakhfakh has set all of this in train but thefinancial crisis is bound to make the rest of 2012 a difficult time for tourism as his opposite number in Morocco, Mr Lahcen Haddad has indicated.It is going to take a long time for Mediterranean tourism to recover.
In the short term Elyes Fakfhakh acknowledged that stability and security particulalrly the recent salafist inspired aggressive demonstrations need to be contained.
Some tourists cancelled their visits and an survey in the tourism trade magazine Travel Weekly showed that British tourists were less likely to visit Tunisia than Egypt.
Decline in Tunisian tourism revenue affects other sectors of the economy as well, Achy observes.However, as well as security issues Tunisian tourism has been deeply affected by the policies pursued under the Ben Ali regime.The over concentration on beach resort tourism led to middle class and middle aged tourism from the EU which resulted in low tourism revenues.
Data from the World Tourism Organization (WTO) show that the average per capita spending of tourists coming to Tunisia does not exceed $385, the lowest among all touristic destinations on the Mediterranean coast.
Average per capita spending for tourists visiting Morocco is $725, while it is $770 in Turkey, $890 in Egypt and $1000 in Greece, Lahcen Achy observes.There was a lack of concentration on cultural and adventure tourism because the Ben Ali regime wanted to keep tourists confined to the beaches. Tourism like everything else under Ben Ali was tightly controlled by the regime.
Tourism investors with close contacts with the regime benefitted from large contracts, others did not.During the decade preceeding the jasmine revolution Tourists arrivals in Tunisia grew from 5 to 7 miullion whereas in Morocco they grew from 5 to 9 million over the same period.Turkey 's tourism doubled and Egypt's grew by a factor of 2.5
As well as security and stability Lahcen Achy says Tunisia needs to change its tourism strategy by recognising demographic changes. The Eurozone crisis is changing tourism patterns and Europeans are travelling less frequently for financial reasons.
There is an increased emphasis and demand for cultural tourism and the WTO estimates that 40 per cent of global tourism is now devoted to cultural activities which are more profitable than beach tourism.Secondly Tunisia has to recognise that European tourism which used to provide 80 per cent of its tourism can no longer do so because of the financial crisis. They need to attract Asian and Latin American tourists who have a greater disposable income.
Tunisia's tourism minister Elyes Fakhfakh has set all of this in train but thefinancial crisis is bound to make the rest of 2012 a difficult time for tourism as his opposite number in Morocco, Mr Lahcen Haddad has indicated.It is going to take a long time for Mediterranean tourism to recover.
In the short term Elyes Fakfhakh acknowledged that stability and security particulalrly the recent salafist inspired aggressive demonstrations need to be contained.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/The-Tourism-Cri...