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Tunisia asks FCO to soften advice


Jennifer Morris


jennifer.morris@ travelweekly.co.uk


The UK head of the Tunisian National Tourist Office has called on the UK government to soften its travel advice for the country one year on from the terrorist attack in Sousse that left 30 Britons dead.


Tarek Aouadi, UK director of the


Tunisian National Tourist Office, said security was paramount but he had not expected the Foreign Office’s (FCO) advice against all but essential travel to most of the country to still be in place. His comments came as the North African country announced this week it was extending its state of emergency by a month until July 21. This gives exceptional powers


to the authorities, including a ban on strikes and the closure of public venues. It was initially imposed after the June 26 massacre. Aouadi said the state of


emergency had been extended to help implement security measures. He said: “There is also a state of


emergency in France and this has had no apparent impact on the decision of hundreds of thousands


of British people to travel there to watch the football,” he said. He noted “the irony” that Thomas Cook, which cannot fly UK customers to Tunisia, can take German clients. “If the FCO ban softens, I have


plans to host mega-fam trips for Thomas Cook and Tui agents to see the changes, because those companies’ customers represent 92% of UK tourists,” said Aouadi. “The FCO knows what it is


doing. Human lives have been lost and security must come first. But we didn’t expect it to be this long. Banning a destination gives a sign to the terrorists they are winning. “We are not asking the FCO to lift


it 100%, because there is still a lot of work to be done. Softening the ban would give the authorities a chance to continue their work and give Tunisians a glimmer of hope.” Industry consultant Andy


Cooper said: “The FCO is not convinced that we have reached that position (of safety); until we do, mass-market tourism from the UK will not restart. Inevitably, even when it does, tourists will not immediately surge back; there will be a prolonged period of


rebuilding confidence in Tunisia.” › Special Report, page 10


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High demand for the western Med


STORIES HOT


Summer sales up 4% to end of May


Ian Taylor ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk


Uncertainty about Thursday’s EU referendum and the impact of a vote to leave has barely dampened demand for outbound holidays.


Industry analyst GfK reports summer 2016 bookings to the end of May up 4% on last year. Bookings in May itself were up 1% but with average selling prices up 4% despite growth in short-haul at the expense of mid-haul, short breaks at the expense of longer and half-board at the expense of all-inclusive holidays which generally cost more. The strong prices reflect high demand for the western Med, and the fall in all-inclusive bookings to Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt. GfK notes a slowdown in the


Tourist police on a beach in Hammamet last week


last two weeks, with bookings in the fortnight to last Saturday (June 18) down 5% on the comparable weeks last year. But a slowdown was widely anticipated in the immediate run-up to the referendum and as the Euro 2016 football tournament kicked off. David Hope, GfK business


“Bookings are slowing as availability in favoured destinations becomes more limited”


group director, said: “Bookings are also starting to slow as the availability of holidays to favoured destinations becomes more limited.” However, this should not dent


the figures for the season to date. Research for Travel Weekly suggests almost one in five UK consumers are still considering whether to book an overseas holiday this year. At the same time, Office for National Statistics data shows outbound holiday departures in the three months to April were up 9% year on year, suggesting Easter 2016 was by far the best since 2008. The positive figures have come


despite a decline in the value of the pound against the euro from about €1.40 last summer to €1.30 this year, and a fall against the dollar from $1.55 a year ago to $1.40 for


much of this year. › Exclusive research, back page


23 June 2016 travelweekly.co.uk 5


PICTURE: REUTERS


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