clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Austerity threatens 200 Tunisian travel agencies

July 18, 2017 at 5:25 am

Austerity measures may cause 200 Tunisian travel agencies to suspend their activity, according to Mohamed Ali Al-Toumi, president of the Tunisian Association of Travel Agents.

Al-Toumi said in a press conference held in Tunis that the government’s restrictions on foreign exchanges have caused difficulties for tourism and travel agencies in terms of booking tickets and hotels abroad for Tunisian tourists.

Al-Toumi added that “there is a real threat against 200 travel agencies and their partners abroad. This is caused by the fact that the agencies commitments exceed the limits imposed  by the government. Moreover, this crisis could threaten the image of Tunisia abroad.”

The Tunisian government allocated  25 million dinars ($ 10.2 million) this year to fund the foreign activities of travel agencies.

In recent years bookings have grown in line with the increases in the standard of living in Tunisia, as well as the demand for travel abroad.

Read: Tourism up 29% in Tunisia

The Tunisian dinar fell 10.3 percent compared to the same period last year, partly due to rising demand for foreign currency.

“The high demand from travelers aboard this year has prompted us to conduct early assessment sessions,” Fahmi Al-Houki, director of joint interests at the Ministry of Tourism, told reporters during the event. “We are looking for urgent solutions to the ceiling issue with the central bank,” he added.

More than 700 travel agencies operate in Tunisia and they are organized, according to figures of the Tunisian Hotel Association.