Correspondents around the world

Thailand-Mexico-Spain-Tunisia: tourists return

Audio 04:32

Tourists during a camel trek in the desert, in Douz, Tunisia.

Getty Images/Photographer's Choice/Sami Sarkis

By: Amira Souilem Follow |

Carol Isoux |

Elise Gazengel |

Gwendolina Duval

2 mins

Overview of the resumption of tourist activity around the world with our correspondents: Carol Isoux in Bangkok, Gwendolina Duval in Mexico City, Elise Gazengel in Barcelona and Amira Souilem in Tunis.

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Slowly but surely, tourists are returning to Thailand, a country that received up to 40 million tourists a year before the pandemic.

The government is gradually relaxing the anti-Covid measures.

From May 1, there will no longer be any mandatory quarantine at the entrance to the country, nor testing.

Travelers will nevertheless have to certify their vaccination status and health insurance, before obtaining the

, an essential document to enter the country.

In Mexico, even if the tourist activity has never completely stopped, the sector is doing quite well.

And while the Holy Week holidays have just ended, many Mexicans have gone sightseeing in the country... So much so that in the capital Mexico City or on the beaches of the Caribbean and the Pacific, professionals have found an attendance that reached the same levels as before the pandemic.

In Spain, for better or for worse: they are there, they are everywhere, on the Rambla in Barcelona or at the beach.

The tourists are finally back!

This Easter week proved it and gave tourism professionals a smile: the hotels and apartments in the capital of Catalonia were 90% full, as in the rest of the country's tourist areas, figures similar to those of before the pandemic, finally!

And this, despite rising prices, particularly for housing: 30% more on average because of inflation.

In Tunisia, the tourism sector represents 13% of GDP.

As a major crisis hits, the country - in full negotiations with the IMF for new loans - Tunisia is counting on the tourist season to come to limit the damage.

The sanitary conditions for entering the country have been relaxed and a first cruise ship was even able to dock in Tunis a month ago.

A first since 2019. Up 40% in the first quarter, tourism receipts are still struggling to return to their pre-pandemic level.

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• Tourism

• RFI

• Thailand

• Mexico

• Spain

• Tunisia