In a particularly gloomy context for tourism since the beginning of the year, Tunisian delegations have tried to sell the destination Tunisia to Chinese professionals. One way to prepare for the future.
Faced with the collapse of tourism resources, Tunisia is trying to keep control. Several of its representatives have participated in several specialized economic fairs held in China in recent weeks.
The Tunisian Embassy, which steers these various initiatives, is pursuing the country’s “economic diplomacy” strategy, in order to preserve its place in the Chinese tourist market. While new opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries remain on the table.
This is how Tunisia took part, according to the Tunisian Embassy in Beijing, in the first edition of the International Tourism, Services, Innovation and Trade Fair held in the city of Guangzhou (south of the China) from September 24 to 26, 2020. Under the theme “The International Maritime Silk Road Show of the 21st Century”, this event brought together 51 countries.
On this occasion, the Tunisian Embassy in Beijing and the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT) presented the preferential advantages of the Tunisian tourist destination.
Accompanied by the director of the ONTT in Beijing, the Tunisian Ambassador to China, Dhia Khaled, held talks with representatives of travel agencies, tourism professionals, the media as well as representatives of several aviation companies international.
With his interlocutors, he reviewed the measures decided by the Tunisian authorities to revive the tourism sector, including the mandatory health protocol adopted by tourist establishments and travel agencies.
On the other hand, Tunisia participated in the international fair “CMT China” organized from September 18 to 20, 2020, in the city of Nanjing (central China) and devoted to the presentation of congress tourism.
A sector at half mast!
The director of the ONTT office in Beijing, for his part, spoke with officials of Chinese travel agencies and presented the specificities of the Tunisian destination which meets the international standards specific to this form of tourism, known for its high performance, notes a press release from the embassy.
In 2019, Tunisia welcomed 29,974 Chinese tourists, which was an increase of 7.3% compared to 2018.
Over the first nine months of 2020, the destination Tunisia recorded a 60% drop in its tourism revenue. They reached 1.56 billion dinars (484 million euros), from January 1 to September 20, 2020. The number of overnight stays fell to 4.62 million, a decrease of 79.5% compared to the same. period in 2019. This, for 1,714,493 border entries (-75.2%), according to official figures.
By the end of the year, the drop in tourism income could reach 70% according to Tourism Minister Habib Ammar. A figure that his ministry intends to qualify, because Tunisia would do better than its neighboring countries. Either way, many professionals in the industry expected a year without any revenue.
In Tunisia, tourism represents 14% of the GDP. This “health crisis has highlighted certain structural weaknesses in the tourism sector, including the financial base of establishments and the precariousness of employment”, admitted an adviser to the minister, questioned by AFP.
The health crisis continues to affect the sector. Thus, since September 28, travelers coming from France have been subjected to the presentation of a negative PCR test, carried out within 72 hours before boarding.
Travelers from France must also present a health card and a written commitment to self-isolation (in a hotel or at home) for a period of 14 days, reports the Quai d’Orsay in its Travel Advice , updated September 25. “It is possible to do a second PCR test between 5 and 7 days after the date of arrival on Tunisian soil,” adds the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “If the test is negative, it will be possible to break out of self-isolation on the seventh day.”
For tourists, visits to museums, monuments and archaeological sites will be authorized provided that the sanitary measures specific to each site are respected.
For Khaled Fakhfakh, president of the Tunisian Hotel Federation (FTH), “the current tourism situation is very bad, not to say catastrophic”. According to him, “60% of hotels have not opened this year and may not reopen.”
Tunisia initially contained the epidemic on its soil with early and strict restrictions, as soon as the first contaminations appeared in early March. The borders had to be closed, a measure with serious consequences for tourism.
Even since their reopening on June 27 and the lifting of the mandatory quarantine for travelers, the sector remains very affected and “its evolution is linked to the evolution of the virus”, recognizes the ministry. In turn, the country has been facing a resurgence in the number of new cases detected daily, for a few weeks.
Reference: https://destinationsmed.com/la-tunisie-veut-attirer-davantage-de-touristes-chinois/
