The geographical position of Tunisia in the southern Mediterranean, with 1,300 kilometers of coastline largely sandy, warm Mediterranean climate in summer and mild winter, a rich civilizational heritage (eight sites on the World Heritage Unesco) and especially a low cost holiday, making the country one of the main destinations for European tourists in Africa and the Arab World (fourth most visited country after Egypt, South Africa and Morocco): Tunisia hosted 7,048,999 visitors in 2008.1 It has also set a goal to get closer to ten million tourists by 20142 horizon.
The development of tourism started in the 1960s thanks to the combined action of the state and private groups. Hotel capacity gradually changes from 56,000 beds in 1974 to 123,000 beds 19913. If tourism is reported that two million dinars per year in 1962, with 52 000 entries and an offer of 4,000 beds, it quickly becomes the main foreign exchange earner in the country with 6,549,549 visitors and an offer of 231,838 beds in 2006 (nearly 27% located in four and five star hotels) 4. The sector accounts for at that time 6.5% of GDP and provides 340,000 jobs, including 85,000 direct jobs, or 11.5% of the labor force with a high share of seasonal employment.
In 2010, tourism contributes 7% to GDP, annually generates between 18 and 20% of foreign exchange earnings, covering 56% of the trade deficit and employs 400,000 people.2. In addition, the sector now has a total capacity of more than 241,000 lits2.
After a disaster due to revolution 2011, the Tunisian tourism sector is showing signs of recovery with a rise of 52.8% in the number of tourists in the first quarter 20125. As we approach the peak season of 2013, a large demonstration people organized on Habib Bourguiba Avenue on June 22, at the initiative of the Tunisian Federation of Travel Agencies and the National Office of Tunisian tourism, which sees thousands of people gather for a celebration with international appeal tourism tunisien6.
In 1974, Tunisia receives some 716,000 visitors, including 207,000 French and 90,000 West Germans against only 88,000 (63,000 Libyans and Algerians 25,000), slightly more than 10% of total3. In 1991, 1.154 million Libyans and 745,000 Algerians are registered, giving a total of 2.058 million against 1.086 million North Africans and Europeans scoring a growing weight of maghrébine3 customers.
In 2008, it is divided as follows: Libyans (1,776,881 visitors), French (1395255), Algerians (968,499), Germans (521,513), Italy (444,541), British (254,922 ) and Polish (207,531) 1. The leading group but tends to diversify over 2007, mainly to Eastern Europe - with an increase of 39.6% to 14.1% Poles and the Russians - but also to neighboring countries with an increase of 14.4% for Libyans; the Turkish, British, Austrian, Czech and Spanish markets are however stalls importants1. However, the North African customers frequent few hotels preferring system rental homestay: Entries Maghreb customers represented 40.6% of total admissions in 2002 only 6.6% of arrivals in hotels3.
Domestic tourism is another market weight with 1,251,251 Tunisian tourists for a total of 2.75 million nights in 20067.
Tourism has been a driving force for the development of port infrastructure craft. With around 1300 kilometers of coastline, the Tunisian coastline boasts development potential (about 200 million dinars revenue per year) due to the shortage of places facing the European side of the Mediterranean Sea and its proximity it CI8. In 2009, five marinas for 1500 berths are in use, while several projects are under construction or study:
Tabarka;
Bizerte (expected 2011 extension);
Gammarth (opening in 2012);
Sidi Bou Said;
Yasmine Hammamet;
El Kantaoui;
Monastir;
Sfax (planned);
Houmt Souk (under construction).
Choosing encourage Saharan tourism, initiated in late 1987, had to meet two objectives. On one hand it was to diversify the Tunisian tourism grow by an untapped deposit and launch innovative products designed primarily for the European market. Second, it must allow Saharan regions to find in tourism, a solution to their economic problems while preserving their cultural heritage and naturel9. Saharan four tourist regions can be distinguished:
Gafsa region and Jerid, with the oasis of Tozeur, Nafta and mountain oasis (Chebika Midès Tamerza), which is the best equipped in hotel infrastructure and houses the largest oasis of Tunisie9;
Region Nefzaoua with both oasis and Kébili Douz (southeast of Chott el Jerid), Douz being the point of departure for many camel to the big sud9;
the area of the cave dwellings of Matmata Berber villages surrounding Beni as Zelten Tamezret, Zrawa Toujane and further north, on the road to Medenine;
the Tataouine region and 65 ksours that surround Tataouine is a starting point for exploring the desert Sahara9.
Saharan tourism (Douz and Tozeur each year attracting more than 250,000 visitors throughout the year) is growing rapidly reaping the dividends of the most spectacular of sustained investment effort of the Saharan countries.
More recently, medical tourism has emerged and is growing very rapidement10. The number of foreign patients has increased from about 50,000 in 2004 to over 150,000 in 2007 according to the organization with a hundred private clinics within the UTICA; nearly 70% of them are from North Africa and about 12% of Europe11. Former Tourism Minister Ahmed Smaoui says:
"The Algerians and Libyans affluent seek care here because their countries do not have efficient medical facilities. We also welcome the British tired of having to wait months before they can be operated in their country. Finally, more and more people resort to surgery esthétique12. "
Sector revenues reached 55 million dinars in 2006, an increase of 22.2% over the previous year. The attraction is enhanced by the rate between 40 and 70% lower than those in Europe; they are also exempt from VAT of 6% 11.
Mass destination, Tunisia yet wants to promote a more upmarket tourism and thus strives to diversify its leisure, eco-tourism with more than eight golf courses and ten thalassotherapy centers. This results in upgrading its hotels, for the four and five star tending to strengthen reaching a third of the 825 hotels in the country in 20064
source wikimapia
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