Funny tourist season this year. "We cannot save the whole season but we will try everything to save part of it". The Tunisian Minister of Tourism this weekend welcomed tourists on a first charter flight after a three-month hiatus due to the epidemic of the new coronavirus.
Arrived on the island of Djerba aboard a flight chartered by the Luxembourg tour operator Luxair, the 155 French, German and Luxembourgish tourists were expected when they got off the plane by a hostess wishing them a good stay with bouquets of jasmine.
50 dead in Tunisia, borders reopened on June 27
Tunisia has successfully taken drastic measures to contain the pandemic, which has left 50 dead among 1,374 infected people in the country.
The mandatory 14-day quarantine was lifted in mid-June, and the borders reopened on June 27. Travelers from France, Germany and Luxembourg are not subject to any restrictions, like all countries classified green by the Tunisian authorities.
Temperature measurement on landing
When getting off the plane, the travelers wore health masks and were subjected to a temperature measurement by thermal camera at the airport.
"You have handled the health crisis better than we have," says Patrick, a French man in his sixties who arrived with his son for a ten-day stay in the sun. He said he chose Tunisia after watching television on the health situation in the country.
Djerba, "the island of dreams", is one of the main tourist destinations in Tunisia. It mainly attracts French, German and British tourists. Tunisia has been hit hard by the economic and social fallout from closing the borders due to the pandemic.
A significant weight of tourism in the Tunisian GDP
The authorities hope for early 2021 a revival of the tourism sector, which represents 8 to 14% of GDP, employs around half a million people and is the most affected by the health crisis. Tourism revenues decreased by about 50% between January 1 and July 10 compared to the same period last year, according to official statistics.
The most important "is that people who work in tourism regain confidence and believe in it again," said Tunisian Minister of Tourism, Mohamed Ali Toumi. And "I think it's won with the arrival of this plane and others soon," he says.
Strict sanitary measures continue
The authorities count on the maintenance of strict sanitary measures to reassure tourists and the sector. "The sanitary measures begin as of the entry with the hotel" and with "the respect of the procedures of distancing", explains Atef Denguir, director of a hotel in Djerba.
When they arrive at the hotel, tourists wash their hands with hydroalcoholic gel and are subjected to a new temperature measurement, while the staff of the establishment sprays disinfectant on the luggage.
By reopening its borders, Tunisia has decided to halve the accommodation capacity of its hotels to comply with anti-coronavirus guidelines. "We are determined to strictly apply the health protocol," assured AFP the Minister of Tourism, who spoke with travelers.
“I understood that you had to live with the Covid! "
"We decided 8 days ago (...) The decision was quickly made" because we know Tunisia, explains Emmanuel Lambert, a French tourist who came with his family.
Destination manager at Luxair, Marc Zafra is delighted that his agency has "finally succeeded in sending the first charter outside the European Union to Tunisia" thanks in particular to the green light from the EU.
And so that it can continue, some like Emmanuel Lambert believe that "you just have to be careful". “I understood that you had to live with the Covid! Because anyway I think I can catch it as much in Champagne-Ardenne, in Marne, as I can catch it here, ”he says.
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