NEWS SPECIAL REPORT


Tunisia, one year on: This Sunday marks a year since 38 people died at the hands of a gunman on a beach in Sousse. Jennifer Morris spoke to the director of the UK Tunisian National Tourist Office


Tourist police patrol the beach where the attack took place. Inset: Tarek Aouadi


Tunisia chief: It will take time for us to bounce back


The massacre of 38 tourists at the Riu Imperial Marhaba on June26 last year was the deadliest non-state attack in the history of modern Tunisia. It came just three months after 22 people were killed at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis.


This week a state of emergency


was extended in the country for another month, to July 21. The Foreign Office travel advice, imposed last July, warns against all but essential travel to the majority of the country, with some parts deemed off-limits altogether. At present Thomas Cook, Tui


and Monarch are not flying to the country from the UK, and UK arrivals are down 94% for January to May on the same period last year. Tarek Aouadi, the London-based


director of the Tunisian National Tourist Office, said: “Ironically, last year for the period January to May 31, the UK market was the strongest it had been, at 142,000. This year, the figure is 8,120 UK visitors. The total UK visitors for 2014 was 424,700, but we ended 2015 down 51%.”


By last December, 192 of


Tunisia’s 573 hotels had closed – although a small proportion will have reopened for the summer season – and with 400,000 people employed in the tourism sector, the knock-on effect for Tunisian nationals has been harsh. While the number of UK visitors


has fallen dramatically, tourists from other European countries are still visiting. In the five months to the end of May, Tunisia hosted 115,700 visitors from France, 34,600 from Germany, 26,100 from Italy and 74,400 from Russia. The tourist office has been


working hard to ensure that when the FCO advice is lifted and operators resume running holidays, agents are equipped with all the information they need


10 travelweekly.co.uk 23 June 2016


“We have found the greatest support in the trade…they are experienced in this kind of thing”


to reassure customers that the security situation has changed. “We have visited the FCO with the Association of National Tourist Offices and Representatives and had a presentation on how they decide their advice,” said Aouadi. “I asked how long they expected


it to go on for in Tunisia and a director said they cannot give the answer – it needs to come from a [government] minister. “Public perception has been


heavily hit because of the massive coverage of the incident, which is understandable. “We have found the greatest


support in the trade because they are experienced in this kind of thing happening around the world. “We’ve wanted to continue


being visible. As well as consumer‑ focused videos, we have been doing roadshows from north to south with the UK trade to communicate the latest security measures.” He added: “It will take time to


build numbers back up. “It’s going to take time to bounce


back but at least we are working towards it.”


Tunisia passes new security laws to protect tourists


Tunisia has passed a series of laws focusing on security in hotels, resorts and their beaches and for travel firms on the ground. They include:


n Hotels: Strict requirements for access – hotel staff must keep track of everyone leaving and entering. Cameras have been installed in hotels where necessary and metal detectors are used on cars entering or leaving a hotel.


n Training: Staff at travel companies in Tunisia are undergoing security training. If something needs to be changed in an excursion programme, the guide has to inform the Police Touristique.


n Vehicles: Vehicles used for tourist transport cannot be left alone by the driver at any time, unless in a secure car park.


n More police: Tunisia security director general Amor Messaoud revealed on Sunday that 72 more police will be deployed in tourist zones, plus 1,500 more police officers nationwide.


PICTURE: REUTERS/ZOUBEIR SOUISSI


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