Tunisia’s tourism revenues grew by 40 percent in the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year, the government said Thursday, driven by a strong return of European tourists three years after they were targeted in militant attacks.
Officials predict a record season with eight million tourists expected for the first time.
Some 3.229 million tourists visited Tunisia from Jan. 1 through to June 30, up 26 percent from the same period last year, official figures report. Tourist revenues climbed 40 percent to reach $522 million.
European visitors grew by 60 percent to reach 900,000 while Algerian tourists grew by 18 percent to about 900,000 to remain the top national market for Tunisia.
The number of French tourists increased by 50 percent to 300,000, Germans rose by 60 percent to 100,000, while Russians were up by 48 percent to about 220,000, figures showed.
A return of European visitors would give a strong boost to the struggling economy and support the country’s weak currency.
The 8 million forecast would bring tourist numbers above the pre-attack level of 7.1 million seen in 2014. Arrivals fell to 5.3 million in 2015 and reached 7 million in 2017.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Source: Reuters)
