Eight million tourists expected for 2018 season, according to Selma Elloumi

“The number of tourists for the 2018 season can exceed 8 million, Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts Selma Elloumi told media on Tuesday. indicators recorded by the sector in recent weeks show a significant improvement in bookings, resumption of traditional markets, and the rise of new markets namely the Russian and Chinese markets. Besides, other markets such the Gulf marked are being explored, she said at the annual forum of the Tunisian National Tourist Board (ONTT) inspectors held on March 13-15 in Hammamet. The tourism minister also said that the…

Energy: Algeria to export electricity to Tunisia, Libya

Algeria will soon be exporting electricity to Libya through Tunisia, Algerian Energy Minister Mustapha Guitoni said on the sidelines of a working visit to Khenchela, adding that the export of electrical energy is part of the program of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika who wants to export Algerian energy once the country expects to become self-sufficient by the end of this year,  ANSAmed reports. ”Negotiations are ongoing with Tunisia, which will benefit from some 400 megawatts and with Libya”, the minister said. The export of electricity will go towards these two…

SA, Tunisian startups chosen to join Endeavor network

South African startups i-Pay and Retail Engage, as well as Tunisian startup Expensya, are among the 14 companies from eight countries selected to join the global Endeavor network at the recent 77th International Selection Panel (ISP) in Dubai. Endeavor works to catalyse long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs worldwide. Startups gain access to comprehensive customised services, including introductions to mentors and volunteers from Fortune 500 consulting firms who will help them address key needs. The 22 entrepreneurs chosen in this latest batch, which includes Thomas…

One Tech Business Solutions and its CISCO partner at heart of digitalization

One Tech Business Solutions (OTBS), Tunisian leader in IS integration, and its strategic partner CISCO presented, last Friday at a meeting with the press, the new technological trends in the digital and security field. The event provided the opportunity to highlight the close collaboration and efforts of One Tech Business Solutions to provide its customers with a quality support to meet all of their challenges in digitalization and security of their information systems. Digitalization had become the standard to be reached by the rise of new technologies and the democratization…

News Analysis: Tunisia attracts big hotel operators

Tunisia’s tourism industry experienced several difficult years following a 2015 terror attack in which a gunman killed 38 people in Sousse — which followed a previous attack in March 2015 on a museum. STR reported it led to “significant” declines in RevPAR, which worsened after the Sousse attack that June, resulting in a 51.7% RevPAR drop for Q3 2015. With a number of new openings on the horizon and tourism metrics on the rise, Tunisia offers a blend of modernity and tradition in North Africa. However, in the three years…

Week in Review: Questions in Tunisia, and Switzerland returns stolen funds

Tunisia’s transition is certainly chaotic, but it is also lively and resilient, as JusticeInfo.net showed this week. This country, last bastion of the Arab Spring, is questioning the future of its transitional justice processes, notably its Truth and Dignity Commission. “A few months from the end of the Commission’s work in December 2018, the question of what happens afterwards is recurrent”, writes JusticeInfo’s correspondent in Tunis Olfa Belhassine. With 60,000 victims’ cases registered at the Commission, the questions are many. What kind of transitional justice will there be in the period after the Truth…

IEMed – EuroMeSCo initiative on EU-Tunisia Relations

A reflection on the future of EU-Tunisia relations is unfolding with the objective to adopt “partnership priorities” for 2018/2020 but also to think a longer-term perspective, Institut Europeu de Mediterrania (IEMed) said in its website. The IEMed and the Euro-Mediterranean Research, Dialogue, Advocacy (EuroMeSCo)  proposed to accompany this process with a “track II” initiative that will first materialise in the presentation of a study jointly drafted by four EU and 4 Tunisian experts, as it is reported in the website. The study will be presented in Brussels ahead of the EU-Tunisia…

Thomas Cook Launches Holidays and Flights to Tunisia from Belfast

Thomas Cook has launched summer 2019 holidays, which includes packages and flights to Tunisia from Belfast  Following the change in FCO travel advice to Tunisia and reflecting customer demand, Thomas Cook resumed its operations to Tunisia for UK customers in February. The holiday company has since increased regional departures, with Thomas Cook Airlines operating a weekly flight from Belfast to Enfidha from May 1 until October 23 for summer 2019. Tunisia is ideal for customers looking for culture, great weather and an affordable holiday. A flight time of three and…

Tunisia’s real GDP growth rate could reach 2.8% in 2018 and 3.5% in 2019

Tunisia’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate could reach 2.8% in 2018 and 3.5% in 2019. However, this upward trend “still remains weak,” said Assitan Diarra-Thououne, regional economist for Africa. from the North to the African Development Bank (AfDB), presenting Monday the report on the “Economic Outlook for Africa 2018”, dedicated to North Africa. “This achievement is conditional on an acceleration of structural reforms, a rise of the industrial apparatus to meet external demand and the mitigation of the cyclical nature of the growth of the agricultural sector,” the…

Tunisia aims to attract three million Algerian tourists

The Tunisian authorities aspire to raise the number of Algerian tourists to 3 million, after last year’s record number of 2.5 million, the highest since the 2011 revolution. Tunisian Tourism Minister Selma Elloumi said that there have been “very positive” indicators since the beginning of the current year. In statements to Al-Chourouk, she explained that “We have to make sure that when the Algerian people come to Tunisia, we make them feel as if they were at home and not in a foreign country. There are several options for them. There…