Fastest-growing destinations for first four months of 2017

If you were asked to pick the spot with the fastest-growing number of visitor numbers so far this year … then the answer may not be exactly what you might expect. Official figures from the United Nations on what were the fastest-growing destinations for the first four months of 2017 reveal the Palestinian Territories came out number one. Visitor numbers there were already well up by April, with hopes high that the annual figure of 400,000 tourists from last year would be exceeded. Egyptcame in second where the number of arrivals was up…

Traditional Falconry Festival Still a Major Tourist Attraction in Tunisia

t’s exactly three months to this year’s Falconry Festival, one of the oldest and most popular festivals in Tunisia, and locals are already preparing for the special carnival. The festival basically involves hunting with falcons – rare birds of prey that belong to the genus Falco and are known for their exceptionally strong eyesight. The two-day fair, which takes place between December 8 and 9, comprises of varied exhibitions by locals, practical falconry workshops, and merrymaking. Although some Tunisians are slowly losing interest in the festival, it remains one of the…

‘Tsunami-sunk’ Roman ruins discovered in Tunisia

Vast underwater Roman ruins have been discovered off northeast Tunisia, apparently confirming a theory that the city of Neapolis was partly submerged by a tsunami in the 4th century AD. “It’s a major discovery,” Mounir Fantar, the head of a Tunisian-Italian archaeological mission which made the find off the coast of Nabeul, told AFP. He said an underwater expedition had found streets, monuments and around 100 tanks used to produce garum, a fermented fish-based condiment that was a favourite of ancient Rome. “This discovery has allowed us to establish with…

Boatload of migrants drown off Tunisia coast: Survivor

A boat teeming with illegal migrants is believed to have sunk off the Tunisian coast, possibly resulting in scores of deaths, Shamseddine Marzouq of the independent Tunisian Red Crescent said Thursday. “One of the boat’s Nigerian passengers managed to swim ashore near Benguerdan’s Al-Katef Port on Wednesday,” Marzouq told Anadolu Agency. According to Marzouq, the survivor, who did not give his name, said the boat’s roughly 120 other passengers had all drowned in the sea after the vessel sank due to reasons that remain unclear. The doomed vessel had set out from…