ttglive.com HOTELS. Occupancy rates tumble
BRITISH HOLIDAYMAKERS are being urged to head to a “new Tunisia” as hoteliers struggle to deal with low occupancy levels in the wake of the country’s revolution. UK tourists started returning to Tunisia last week as Thomas Cook ran the first British charter flight since mid-January. Flights came in to Monastir from Gatwick, Manchester, Belfast and Newcastle, and 11 more are expected on Sunday. The return of charter flights is to be followed by a joint campaign by the Tunisian National Tourist Office and operators such as Thomas Cook to encourage UK tourists back to the country. Last year the British market in Tunisia grew by 13% on 2009. Mark Littlefair, Thomas Cook’s head of destination, said the region had been expected to experience a bumper summer this year, but after the uprising sent occupancy levels to record lows expectations have shifted to a return to 2010 levels.
Ghazi Riahi, sales manager at the 361-room Sentido Phenicia hotel in Hammamet, said the
hotel usually had about 75-80% occupancy in low season but currently had less than 10%. Riahi said 10 guests arrived on the first charter flight and another 60 were due the same week. “We would have expected more but this will happen step by step. It will return to normal, but it will be gradual,” she said. Other hoteliers said occupancy rates had begun
to creep up. The 260-room Hotel Kanta in Port el Kantaoui saw 30 Brits arrive last week and expected total numbers to rise to 120. Thomas Cook launched a retail campaign last
Friday offering a minimum of £200 off Tunisia and Egypt holidays between May 2011 and April 2012. But the head of the Tunisian National Tourist
Office, Mohamed Naceur Laribi, urged hoteliers not to slash prices. “The official message from the ministry is not to cut prices,” he said. “If they need to push sales for the short-term, that’s ok, but not for the summer. It’s not good for hotel owners or tourism in general – it will affect the quality of service.”
Trips to Sousse have been axed because it was a protest site EXCURSIONS.
Cook pulls Sousse and Sahara trips
An empty medina in Hammamet, where the Sentido Phenicia hotel has reported occupancy levels dropping to below 10% FLYING BACK. Nerves follow tourists to Tunisia
TOURISTS WHO took the first UK charter flights back to Tunisia admitted feeling a mix of anxiety and apprehension about visiting the country. Sharon McAllister, 46, who was staying at the Dar Khayam Hotel in Hammamet, booked seven nights all-inclusive for £300 in September, tried to cancel but then decided to keep the booking. “I was nervous. I kept phoning to see what the situation was, but I thought Thomas Cook wouldn’t let us go if it was dangerous,” she said. Gloria Fletcher, 51, booked the same holiday three weeks ago for £185. “The reality of what
had happened here only hit us when we landed,” she said. “It’s very quiet – we were playing ‘spot the person’ during the coach transfer.” Shopkeepers at Hammamet’s deserted medina said they were desperate for tourists to return. “It’s often quiet at this time of year, but we’ve noticed it being quieter than usual,” said one shop owner, Nouki Khamisi. “We have to pay rent on our shops. We depend on tourists. It’s time for people to come back now.” Mohamed Chamkhi agreed. “Tunisia loves and needs tourists. We’re hoping they return soon.”
Some tourists have begun returning to Dar Khayam Hotel in Hammamet 11.03.2011
THOMAS COOK has cancelled several excursions for UK tourists visiting Tunisian resorts. Visits to the medina at Sousse and excursions into the Sahara have been pulled, and guests are being advised to avoid the capital Tunis. Ondine Pannell, a holiday rep for Cook, said visits to Sousse had been dropped because it had hosted demonstrations, while visits to the Sahara had been axed due to the Libya situation. Mohamed Naceur Laribi, head of the Tunisian National Tourist Office, said the official position was that there was no reason to recommend reducing excursions, but that he understood if tour operators felt it was necessary to do so and that he knew of several tour operators organising trips to Tunis and the Sahara. However, he added: “The next two weeks will be important in determining the political outcome, so it is sensible not to run excursions at this time.”
north africa crisis: tunisia news
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