San Francisco Frontiers - Tunisia sees European tourist numbers rebound decade after attack

In June 2015, a Tunisian university student slipped a rifle out of a beach umbrella and opened fire on vacationers outside a hotel in Sousse, about 140 kilometres (90 miles) south of the capital.

The shooting, claimed by the Islamic State group, left 38 people dead, most of them British, just months after another attack at the Bardo Museum in Tunis killed 21 foreign visitors.

The violence sent a shockwave through Tunisia's tourism industry, devastating one of the country's most important sources of jobs and foreign currency.

But a decade later, the visitors are returning.

Diane Paul, a 74-year-old tourist from Wales staying at a five-star resort in Sousse not far from where the 2015 beach shooting occurred, said she knew people who survived the attack.

But that did not deter her from visiting the North African country again.

"Nowhere is safe," she said, her skin flushed from the midday sun, adding she had decided not to let fear make "us prisoners in our own country".

- 'Return of trust' -

Foreign arrivals to Tunisia have jumped by nearly 10 percent this year compared with 2024, reaching 5.3 million through July 20, according to the National Tourism Office.

The government hopes to attract 11 million visitors by the end of the year, up from 10 million last year.

British tourism has surged most dramatically, up 48 percent through June, said Dora Milad, head of Tunisia's hotel federation.

At the Pearl Marriott in Sousse, general manager Maher Ferchichi said the surge reflected "a return of trust in Tunisia as a safe destination".

More than 90 percent of the hotel's European guests were British, he added.

Roddy Drummond, the British ambassador in Tunisia, said the embassy forecasts that around "400,000 British tourists will visit Tunisia in 2025".

That would translate to "around the same number as before the 2015 events", Drummond added, crediting improved security for the shift.

Eileen Cuciurean, a longtime visitor from Britain, said she noticed more British people at her hotel than in recent years.

"In past years, sometimes we were the only ones," the 78-year-old added.

- 'Need more flights' -

Tourism is one of Tunisia's most vital sources of foreign currency and generates about 700,000 jobs.

But while the return of visitors is a relief for the government and resort operators, many small businesses and artisans complain that the prevailing all-inclusive package model is keeping tourists behind hotel gates.

Mourad Hadhari, a crafts vendor in Tunis's medina, said the crowds of foreigners visiting each year were not necessarily reflected in his revenues.

"It's true we have millions of tourists, but they just come to sleep and eat at the hotel," he said.

Ahmed Bettaieb, head of the federation of travel agencies, said group tours and package deals represented about 70 percent of yearly visits from abroad.

Some are hoping to attract more visitors by pushing for higher-end investments and better flight deals.

Milad said beach tourism in Tunisia was "very attractive" for tourists, but limited direct low-cost flights were a major drag on growth.

"We need more flights outside the high season," she said.

Q.Nelson--SFF