A year on from Tunisia’s instigation of the Arab Spring and the fall of Ben Ali, the country is enjoying democracy and freedom to the full. But the price it has paid for its newfound status is that the country’s ultimate GDP booster – tourism – has taken a beating. The past summer saw a catastrophic decline in visitors; tourist numbers were halved in 2011, dwindling to about 3.5 million, as compared to the seven million tourists crossing the country borders in 2010 and contributing with 3.5bn dinars ($2.55bn) in revenue.
The demographics that proved most elusive were those known to be most concerned about security, namely families and the elderly. Another important group that has made itself scarce is the Libyan contingent that usually flocks to Tunisia to take advantage of its good medical care facilities and to embrace its comparatively impressive shopping terrain.
Not surprisingly, the areas that have been worst hit by the hardship are coastal regions whose economies rely heavily on tourism. Hammamet, Djerba and Sousse have all seen a staggering number of hotels closing, while they have also suffered unemployment rates far exceeding those recorded before the revolution. Needless to say, the tourism trade provides a key source of income in Tunisia; the industry used to account for 6.5 percent of the country’s GDP, and it employs as many as one in five Tunisians.
“It’s been terrible,” said Trade and Tourism Minister Mehdi Houas in an interview for Reuters in June 2011. “The only sector affected was tourism, and of course (related) work. But it’s terrible for the economy as a whole because it’s 50 percent of our foreign exchange. We lost a lot, especially compared with what we should have had.”
Not licking its wounds for long, the country quickly picked itself up from the rubble and hopes are high that travellers will soon steer their step towards Tunisian shores again. To assist the quest, the Tunisian tourist board is currently investing heavily in marketing and launched a rather daring advertising campaign last year. In one of the ads, which ran in Paris and London, a picture of a woman enjoying a massage was accompanied by a caption reading “They say that in Tunisia some people receive heavy-handed treatment”. Another variant of the campaign showed an archaeological site with a caption reading, “They say Tunisia is nothing but ruins”.
The campaign was designed to gently mock would-be tourists’ fears and thereby defuse their anxieties. It also serves to demonstrate the fact that Tunisia is now able to laugh at itself in a way that was simply not possible during Ben Ali’s strict regime.
Turning a new leaf, in more ways than one
Painting a picture that is anything but bleak, bloggers and journalists based in the North African nation convey a sense of a country that has been invigorated with a new lease of life.
“Tunis has a different feel, a different taste and is no longer the static city, polished for postcards and lost in a time warp,” enthused Dr Zied Mhirsi, co-founder of news website tunisialive.net in a blog spot published by the Guardian newspaper in June 2011. “The city is alive, and Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the Tunisian Champs Elysées, is now the Speakers’ Corner of Tunis, where people come to from all over the country to discuss, demonstrate, and express their views on current political stories.
“The walls are tagged with “Thank-you Facebook” and “Vive la Révolution” and cafes are packed with young people, girls and boys clad in their summer clothes, drinking mint tea or café direct, the Tunisian version of the latte.”
Tunisia and its countrymen are certainly enjoying their newfound identity, and as complex as it may sound, the tourism slump it suffered in the aftermath of the revolution could ultimately work in the country’s favour, functioning a little like a well needed detox. The general consensus is that that the country should aim to up its game, transforming itself to a haven for high-end eco tourism in a bid to shed its reputation as a cut-price, all-inclusive holiday destination. To make that prospect a reality, plans are already in the works. Mehdi Houas has a string of initiatives up his sleeve, including the conception of a set of new marinas to allow for extended space for luxury boats.
Indeed, Tunisia is too fascinating and beautiful to shun. An obvious highlight of the spot is the medina, which dates back to medieval times; while the fascinating ruins of Carthage and the sandy beaches that stretch on for thousands of kilometres are equally worthy draws. If a shift successfully does take place in the sphere of Tunisian tourism alongside its reformed society, the country could well become a business destination to be reckoned with in the near future.
