Highlights:
- Tourism revenue has declined 61 per cent in Tunisia as a result of coronavirus, the Central Bank of Tunisia reported on Friday.
- tourism industry in the country, which includes more than 1,300 travel agencies and provides 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.
- 28 per cent of the sector’s workforce were sacked following the imposition of a general quarantine.
Tourism Sector takes MASSIVE hit
October 26, 2020
Tunisians are waking up to the fact that while they may have survived the first wave of the pandemic, their tourism industry is NOT looking good at all. For starters revenue has declined 61 percent!
Tunisian Economy was already in Trouble: Even before the pandemic, Tunisia had suffered a poor economic record, with sluggish growth, high unemployment and declining public services, since its 2011 revolution ended autocratic rule.
It’s no mystery that the North African country depends heavily on its tourism sector for many social economic reasons. Tunisia relies on tourism for foreign currency, jobs, and security.
“Bankruptcy threatens about 98 per cent of travel agencies in Tunisia…”
In many ways the the fact that thousands of businesses in Tunisia are declaring bankruptcy is as much a security issue as it is an economic one. Why? More than 4,000 families make a living from the tourism sector in Tunisia.
If the situation does not improve it will lead to civil unrest and increase security risks throughout the country.
Tunisia’s tourism sector is in TROUBLE
An industry expert recently confirmed, the danger of bankruptcy which threatens about 98 per cent of travel agencies in Tunisia if financial support measures approved by the government since the start of the health crisis are not implemented.
This will not surprise those monitoring the situation as we learned in September that global tourism losses due to coronavirus amounted to $460 billion in the first half of the year; that’s a 65% decline in the number of tourists worldwide!
Tunisia Security Outlook
Security Insight: The Tunisian Federation of Travel Agencies (FTAV) held a protest on Tuesday outside the headquarters of the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts in the capital, Tunis, to ask authorities to support businesses which are on the verge of closure.
Operational Impact: Moving forward we may start to see more of these types of protests & activities throughout the country in response to the economic hardships and ongoing curfews.
Travel to Tunis may continue while adhering to all security precautions. Consult with us for itinerary-based tactical monitoring and ground support options.
Leave a Reply