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Metro
a day ago
- Metro
A gunman massacred tourists on a beach. Ten years later, they're coming back
On a hot June day in 2015, a man dressed in black walked along the beach outside the five-star Imperial Marhaba hotel in Sousse. It was almost noon, peak sunbathing time, and he was carrying a parasol. Nobody paid him much attention. Over the next 30 minutes, Seifeddine Rezgui rampaged with the Kalashnikov assault rifle that had been hidden in the parasol, shooting indiscriminately into crowds of tourists and anyone who crossed his path. By the time he was killed by Tunisian security forces, 23-year-old Rezgui had murdered 38 people and left another 39 wounded. Of the dead, 30 were British. It was the biggest loss of British life to terrorism since the 7/7 bombings in London in July 2005. For Tunisians and the tourism they rely on, it was devastating. 'The attack fully destroyed it as a destination. All the airlines pulled out, nobody wanted to go,' Nicholas Smith, Holidays Digital Director at Thomas Cook and eSky Group, tells Metro. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. Before Sousse, tourism accounted for around 14% of Tunisia's GDP, employing almost half a million people from a population of 11 million. Confidence in the sector had been shaken three months before, when two Tunisian suicide attackers killed 22 tourists at the Bardo museum in the capital, Tunis. After the massacre in Sousse, a resort town where 90% of residents worked in tourism, directly or indirectly, it collapsed. Tour operators across the UK, Ireland and Europe suspended charters, spelling the end of Tunisia as a package holiday destination for years. After the Foreign Office advised against travel, hotels and restaurants that relied on footfall from foreigners were forced to close, and local heroes who formed human shields to save guests from Rezgui's bullets lost their jobs. The town, residents said, felt like it was dying. 'Everyone had a hard time,' says content creator Hamza Jabri, 33. 'Some started selling things on the street, others had to get help from their family or their neighbours. People had to find new ways to support themselves.' In 2014, the year before the attacks, 430,000 British tourists visited Tunisia. In 2017, there were 28,000. It was almost three years after Rezgui opened fire before travel operators cautiously returned. While the Tunisian government provided support payments and training to help the unemployed find new jobs, Covid dealt a double blow to a region already on its knees. 'It was a tough time, but people did their best to keep going,' Hamza says, resolutely. And today, against the odds, the future looks bright. Flights have resumed, and budget behemoths like easyJet are luring budget-conscious travellers with attractively priced packages. Luxury is accessible, with five-star hotels offering rooms for a fraction of the price you'd pay in Greece or Turkey. In 2024, Tunisia welcomed 10.25 million visitors; put in context, Morocco saw 17 million and Egypt 15.7 million. Like it does for dozens of countries, the Foreign Office still advises against travel to parts of Tunisia (mostly near the border with Libya). However, British officials say the country has made huge progress in counter-terrorism since the 2015 attacks, and Nicholas has seen proof in holiday spots such as Djerba, Sousse and Port El Kantaoui. 'The tourism board has done a lot to repair its image,' he says. 'They've spent a lot of money to make guests feel safe.' More Trending Most of that investment has been on security. But do people want to holiday in a place swarming with armed security and gendarmerie on jet skis patrolling the shore? 'Look, there's been a push for visible security, and there is some, but it's subtle,' says Smith. 'You can still get out and about, you're not locked up in a resort.' Tunisia clocked a record start to 2025, with a surge in year-on-year visitors from January to April, and Tunisians are thrilled to see them returning. 'Tourism is not just coming back, it's evolving,' says Hamza. 'I see more people returning every year, and now they're looking for authentic experiences, not just beach holidays.' MORE: 'Neo-nazi' teen wanted to go on 'terrorist rampage inspired by Jo Cox murder' MORE: Sleeper cells are lurking in the UK — experts reveal how worried we should be MORE: Is it safe to travel to Egypt? Latest Foreign Office tourist advice after Iran strikes US airbase
Business Insider
01-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
European travel to the US slowed down this year — but travel companies say a summer rebound is already underway
Despite political tensions and growing anti-American sentiment, US travel is holding steady among European tourists — especially when prices drop. From January to April, several major travel platforms observed a slowdown in European bookings to the US. Thomas Cook reported a dip that exceeded typical seasonal fluctuations. "We did observe a softening in bookings to the US between January and April this year — a dip that goes beyond the usual seasonal adjustments," Nicholas Smith, holidays digital director at Thomas Cook and eSky Group, told Business Insider. However, by May, things began to shift. Smith said aggressive pricing strategies, including hotel rate cuts of around 25% and deposits of just over $1, triggered an uptick in bookings. "This has, in turn, helped stimulate demand, particularly among UK travelers adept at spotting good deals," he said. "We expect this rebound to continue into the summer months." Other travel firms echoed that optimism. TravelPerk, which serves business and corporate travelers, said bookings to the US from Europe rose 1% year over year in April, while US to Europe bookings climbed by 14%. Cancellation rates remained stable at 7 to 9%. Etraveli Group, which analyzed bookings through April, found that while demand for flights from the EU to the US declined by 7%, overall trip orders to the US from Europe jumped 19.5% year over year. However, bookings to other intercontinental destinations grew even faster, up 24.3% overall, 29% for Africa, and 25% for Asia. Shorter intra-European trips surged by 29%. Tariff backlash These shifts are unfolding against a politically charged backdrop. President Donald Trump's escalating trade war, with tariffs on EU imports swinging from 20% to 10% and now potentially rising to 50%, has triggered grassroots consumer backlash across Europe. Apps like Brandsnap in the Netherlands and Detrumpify in France are helping Europeans identify US brands to avoid in supermarkets and online. In Denmark, major retailer Salling Group labelled European-made products with black star labels, while Norway's largest oil bunkering operation company, Haltbakk Bunkers, made headlines for briefly refusing to refuel US Navy ships. Meanwhile, high-profile American brands like Tesla and Coca-Cola are already seeing a fallout. Tesla's sales in Europe dropped by 46% between January and April, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, and McDonald's reported a global sales dip linked to "anti-American sentiment," especially in Northern Europe. This behavior may reflect more than a passing political reaction. In its March Consumer Expectations survey, the European Central Bank found that 44% of about 19,000 respondents preferred to switch away from US brands, regardless of tariff levels. The bank warned that this suggested a "possible long-term structural shift in consumer preferences away from US products and brands." It may not be a long-term shift French hotel giant Accor added to the concerns last month. CEO Sébastien Bazin told Bloomberg that summer bookings to the US from Europe were down 25%. Yet, travel industry analysts cautioned against assuming this signals a long-term shift. "While there is evidence of a temporary slowdown at this stage, the combination of price adjustments and strong interest in iconic US destinations suggests the market is poised to recover momentum," said Smith of Thomas Cook. Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, told BI that politics isn't the only factor deterring travelers. "Some of it is a genuine disinclination against spending your holidays in the US," he said, "but much of it is the fear of harassment at the border."
