Tunisia: government announces financial aid for the tourism sector

According to the Tunisian Tourism Federation, 27,000 jobs are at risk (photo illustration).

AP Photo / Darko Vojinovic, File

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The hope of a resumption of the arrival of travelers was quickly swept away by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the countries from which tourists leave.

The sector, which represents around 14% of Tunisian GDP, is therefore on its knees.

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In Tunisia, the government announced Monday, November 16, aid for the tourist sector in difficulty since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Employees in the sector who are unemployed will receive a monthly allowance of 200 dinars (80 euros), or half of the minimum wage, this is one of the important announcements of the Minister of Tourism, Habib Ammar. 

After dropping considerably following the jasmine revolution of 2011 and the insecurity linked to the terrorist attacks, attendance at Tunisian tourist places then rebounded.

The number of visitors was 9.5 million last year.

Growth halted net by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Minister of Tourism,

and the exemption from PCR testing until recently for people traveling via tour operators, the number of overnight stays has decreased by 80, 5%. 

Relaxation of conditions

Habib Ammar also announced that tourists " 

 " would have relaxed access conditions, with no obligation to quarantine, in order to revive Saharan tourism, on condition of being part of organized trips and respecting a health protocol.

The Tunisian government had already taken support measures, visibly poorly applied: professionals in the sector complain of the lack of their implementation.

Minister Habib Ammar demanded greater flexibility in the application by banks of the mechanism of loans guaranteed by the State, for the benefit of tourist companies in difficulty.

According to the Tunisian Tourism Federation, 27,000 jobs are at risk and six out of ten households with heads of families working in tourism risk falling into poverty. 

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• Tunisia

• Tourism

• Finance

• Coronavirus