Latest news with #TunisianNationalTouristOffice
African Manager
21-04-2025
- Business
- African Manager
Tunisia: Four specifications for alternative tourism coming soon
Director of legal affairs at the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT), Najla Mansouri, confirmed the improvement in the tourism sector's indicators during 2024 and the first quarter of the current year, noting that the sector has recovered from the COVID pandemic. The Ministry of Tourism recently launched a new national tourism promotion campaign targeting European markets and work is underway to improve services and move towards digitalization, she added on ExpressFM. As part of efforts to simplify procedures and support alternative tourism, she noted that four specifications for certain types of tourist accommodation will be published. These concern the development and operation of family accommodation, rural accommodation, transit accommodation and tourist camps, with the aim of abolishing authorizations in order to facilitate the development of alternative tourism projects and further stimulate tourism investment. The ONTT official explained that these specifications would be drawn up according to clear and transparent criteria, taking into account the specific characteristics of each type of alternative tourist accommodation. She underlined the importance of using these tools and of abandoning the authorization system in order to develop alternative and sustainable tourism projects and to open up a space for young entrepreneurs.
African Manager
01-04-2025
- Business
- African Manager
Tunisia: Sousse sees increase in bookings from traditional markets
Acting Regional Tourism Delegate for Sousse, Mohamed Boujdaria, reported a significant increase in hotel bookings from traditional markets (UK, Germany, France, Eastern Europe, and Algeria) compared to 2024. During a presentation at the first 2025 session of the Regional Tourism Council, Boujdaria highlighted growing demand from Scandinavian markets, particularly for April and May. He also noted encouraging signs of recovery in the Russian market, with negotiations underway to establish six weekly flights—aiming to revive pre-Ukraine crisis tourism levels. Boujdaria added that the Sousse-Port El Kantaoui tourist zone welcomed over 1.169 million tourists in 2024, a 5.1% rise from 2023, with 5.752 million overnight stays (+10.5%). Early 2025 saw 109,419 visitors (Jan-Feb), a 16% increase year-on-year. Tunisians lead winter tourism, Algerians follow Tunisian visitors dominated winter 2025 arrivals in Sousse, surging 20% to 65,142. Algerians ranked second (14,276), followed by British (16,149), French (6,178), and German (3,475) tourists. Tunisia targets 11 million tourists in 2025 2.974 million European tourists visited Tunisia in 2024 (+16.9% vs. 2023). Other arrivals included 72,000 Americans, 57,650 non-Maghreb Africans, 57,000 Middle Eastern visitors, and 23,000 Chinese. Tourism contributes 9% of GDP and supports 400,000 direct/indirect jobs. Authorities aim to attract over 11 million tourists in 2025, sustaining sector growth. Ambitious 2025 promotion campaign The Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT) will launch international promotions in 2025, focusing on participation in global travel fairs to boost investment and highlight new sustainable tourism programs like: Culinary Route, Cinematic Route and UNESCO Route. Industry professionals stressed collaboration with diplomatic missions and Tunisian institutions abroad to enhance the country's global image.
African Manager
18-02-2025
- Business
- African Manager
Tunisia's tourism regains its shine
Tunisia's tourism sector continues to impress, with its current growth driven by several key factors. The return of political stability, coupled with an aggressive international promotional campaign, has clearly paid off. Tourists, drawn by Tunisia's rich cultural and natural heritage, have responded in growing numbers. Industry professionals are pleased with these encouraging results but remain cautious about the future. Challenges persist, including heightened competition from rival tourist destinations and global economic uncertainty. Nonetheless, medium-term prospects appear favorable. In 2024, Tunisia set a new record, welcoming over 10 million tourists from various international markets—a figure surpassing the pre-pandemic benchmark year of 2019. Among these visitors, 328,000 were Tunisians residing abroad, marking a 9% increase compared to the previous year. The previous record was achieved in 2019, when the country welcomed more than 9.4 million tourists before the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted this strategic sector starting in 2020. Tourism revenues reached 7.5 billion dinars by the end of 2024, representing an 8.3% increase compared to 2023. Regarding the main source markets, Algeria stands out with over 3.5 million visitors, a 16% increase compared to 2023. In contrast, the number of Libyan tourists decreased by about 7%, stabilizing at 2.1 million compared to 2023. Maghreb tourists accounted for nearly 5.7 million visitors, representing 55.6% of total arrivals in Tunisia in 2024 and 63.8% of non-resident foreigners. The French market leads with 1.1 million visitors, just after the Maghreb markets. Germany follows with 329,000 visitors, while the United Kingdom climbs to third place with 327,000 tourists, surpassing Poland, which crossed the 320,000-tourist mark. 11 million tourists expected in 2025! The total number of European tourists reached 2.974 million in 2024, showing a significant 16.9% increase compared to 2023. Additionally, Tunisia welcomed nearly 72,000 American tourists, 57,650 non-Maghreb Africans, 57,000 tourists from the Middle East, and 23,000 Chinese visitors. The tourism sector contributes approximately 9% to Tunisia's GDP and generates 400,000 direct and indirect jobs. Tunisian authorities aim to welcome over 11 million tourists in 2025, confirming the sector's growth momentum. Extensive Promotion Campaign in 2025 A major focus of discussions at the Ministry of Tourism was the upcoming promotional campaigns for Tunisia as a tourist destination, led by the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT) in 2025. During the session, tourism professionals emphasized the importance of Tunisia's participation in international exhibitions and fairs to promote the destination, boost investments in the sector, and introduce new tourism programs aimed at developing sustainable and responsible tourism. These include initiatives such as the Culinary Route, the Cinematic Route, and the UNESCO Route. Furthermore, they called for better coordination with all stakeholders, including diplomatic missions and Tunisian structures abroad, to enhance Tunisia's international image.
