Tourism in Tunisia

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Sidi Bou Saïd, a major tourist destination

Tourism in Tunisia is a major industry, attracting around 9.4 million arrivals annually from the year 2016 to 2020, making it one of the most visited countries in Africa.

Among Tunisia's tourist attractions are its cosmopolitan capital city of Tunis, the ancient ruins of Carthage, the Muslim and Jewish quarters of Djerba, and coastal resorts outside Monastir. According to The New York Times, Tunisia is known for its "golden beaches, sunny weather, and affordable luxuries."[1]

Yearly tourist arrivals in millions[2][3]

## History

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Garrett Nagle, in his book Advanced Geography, Tunisia's tourist industry "benefits from its Mediterranean location and its tradition of low-cost package holidays from Western Europe."[4] The development of tourism dates back to 1960 through the joint efforts of government and private groups. In 1962, tourism, with 52,000 arrivals and 4,000 beds, generated revenue of two million dollars and became the main source of foreign exchange in the country.[5]

Tunisia hosts every year, but specially during the summer season, a number of music festivals, including the International Festival of Carthage or the Tabarka Jazz Festival.

Up to the turn of the century, Tunisia's main attraction was on its northeast coastline around Tunis; however, the Seventh National Development Plan of 1989 created several new tourist areas including the resort at Port El Kantaoui[4] The tourism sector now represents 6.5% of Tunisia's GDP and provides 340,000 jobs, 85,000 of which are direct, accounting for 11.5% of the working population, with a significant share of seasonal employment.

France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom have been Tunisia's traditional tourist markets. In recent years, Tunisia has expanded its tourism industry to new markets such as Russia and China.[6] From 2003 to 2004, it saw a resurgence in tourist numbers, and in 2007, arrivals increased by 3% compared to 2006..[6]

Tourism in Tunisia suffered severe blows following the Bardo National Museum attack and the Sousse attack in 2015.[7] However, the country quickly recovered its position as a top destination in Africa and the Mediterranean, with 2018 numbers exceeding those of 2010 by 6%, reaching a record 8.3 million visitors.[8]

The COVID-19 pandemic had catastrophic effects on Tunisia's tourism sector, with earnings in 2020 down 60% to US$563 million.[9]

## Attractions

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Tunisia's attractions are of different types according to the region:

* Tunis, the largest city and capital and its suburbs mainly Le Bardo, and the northern suburbs of Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, La Goulette and La Marsa
* Bizerte and its surroundings
* The North-West for its forests in Ain Draham and picturesque coastal mountains close to Tabarka
* The Cap Bon: Hammamet, Nabeul and surroundings
* The Sahel, Tunisia: the beach resorts of Sousse, Monastir, Mahdia
* The religious city of Kairouan, the former capital of the country, the fourth capital of Islam and the city of the oldest mosque in Africa Great Mosque of Kairouan
* The island of Djerba
* The Sahara and the touristic and relaxing cities of Douz, Tozeur and the famous Tataouine, one of the locations of the Star Wars saga.

The archeological site of Baths of Antoninus in Carthage | La Kasbah Square in Tunis | Amphitheatre of El Jem, the biggest in the world outside of Rome

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International Festival of the Sahara | Hammamet, Nabeul Governorate | Sousse

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Snowfall in Tabarka | Forest near Aïn Draham | Medina of Tunis, a UNESCO world heritage site

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### UNESCO World Heritage Sites

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Tunisia is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well 13 others in the tentative list including the island of Djerba for its cultural and religious diversity.

Site  | Image  | Location  | Area
ha (acre)
| Year  | Description

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|
|
|
|

Archaeological Site of Carthage |  | TunTunis Governorate
36°51′10″N 10°19′24″E﻿ / ﻿36.85278°N 10.32333°E﻿ / 36.85278; 10.32333 | 616 (1,520)  | 1979  | Founded in the 9th century BC, Carthage developed into a trading empire spanning the Mediterranean. The city was destroyed in 146 BC in the Punic Wars at the hands of the Romans, but was later reestablished.[10]
Dougga / Thugga |  | TunBeBéja Governorate
36°25′25″N 9°13′13″E﻿ / ﻿36.42361°N 9.22028°E﻿ / 36.42361; 9.22028 | 70 (170)  | 1997  | The site features the ruins of Dougga, a former capital of a Libyan–Punic state, which flourished under the Romans and the Byzantines, but went into decline in the Islamic period.[11]
Amphitheatre of El Jem |  | TunMahdia Governorate
35°17′47″N 10°42′25″E﻿ / ﻿35.29639°N 10.70694°E﻿ / 35.29639; 10.70694 | 1.37 (3.4)  | 1979  | Built during the 3rd century, the Amphitheatre of El Jem is North Africa's largest amphitheatre, and the largest one built outside of Italy, with a capacity of 35,000 spectators, regarded as among the most accomplished examples of Roman architecture of its kind.[12]
Ichkeul National Park |  | TunBiBizerte Governorate
37°09′49″N 9°40′29″E﻿ / ﻿37.16361°N 9.67472°E﻿ / 37.16361; 9.67472 | 12,600 (31,000)  | 1980  | Ichkeul Lake and the surrounding wetlands is a destination for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds, including ducks, geese, storks and pink flamingos. It was once part of a chain that extended across North Africa.[13]
Kairouan |  | TunKairouan Governorate
35°40′54″N 10°06′14″E﻿ / ﻿35.68167°N 10.10389°E﻿ / 35.68167; 10.10389 | 68 (170)  | 1988  | Founded in 670, Kairouan was the former capital of Ifriqiya and flourished in the 9th century. Its heritage includes the Mosque of Uqba and the Mosque of the Three Gates.[14]
Medina of Sousse |  | TunSousse Governorate
35°49′40″N 10°38′19″E﻿ / ﻿35.82778°N 10.63861°E﻿ / 35.82778; 10.63861 | 32 (79)  | 1988  | A prime example of a town from the early Islamic period, Sousse was an important commercial and military port during the 9th century.[15]
Medina of Tunis |  | TunTunis Governorate
36°49′00″N 10°10′00″E﻿ / ﻿36.81667°N 10.16667°E﻿ / 36.81667; 10.16667 | 296 (730)  | 1979  | The Medina of Tunis contains some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasah and fourtains, testifying to Tunis' golden age from the 12th to the 16th century.[16]
Punic Town of Kerkuane and its Necropolis |  | TunNabeul Governorate
36°56′47″N 11°05′57″E﻿ / ﻿36.94639°N 11.09917°E﻿ / 36.94639; 11.09917 | —  | 1985  | Abandoned in 250 BCE during the First Punic War and never rebuilt, Kerkuane is the only surviving example of a Phoenicio–Punic settlement.[17]

### Museums

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Courtyard of the small palace at the Bardo National Museum (Tunis)

For a more comprehensive list, see List of museums in Tunisia.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a list of some important museums in Tunisia:

Name  | City  | Type  | Year
established

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Bardo National Museum (Tunis) | Tunis | National museum | 1888
Carthage National Museum
(formerly known as the Lavigerie Museum) | Carthage | National museum | 1875
Sousse Archaeological Museum | Sousse | Archaeological museum | 1951
Musée Dar Cheraït | Tozeur | History museum | 1990
Dar Jellouli Museum | Sfax | Art museum | 1939
El Djem Archaeological Museum | El Djem | Archaeological museum | 1970
Musée des arts et traditions populaires de Djerba | Djerba | History museum | 2008
Musée des arts et traditions populaires de Monastir | Monastir | History museum |
Musée des arts et traditions populaires de Tunis | Tunis | Art museum | 1978
Musée du patrimoine insulaire de Kerkennah | Kerkennah | History museum | 2006

### Resorts

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This sector is popular mainly on the east coast, totaling more than 95% of beds. The following is a list of the largest resorts and the percentage of nights out of the total:

* Sousse-Monastir-Mahdia (36%)
* Nabeul-Hammamet (24%)
* Djerba-Zarzis (40%)
* Tunis-Zaghouan (10%)
* Tabarka-Aïn Draham (2%)

### Golf

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Tunisia is also a pioneer golfing destination in the Mediterranean. It offers world-class golf courses available year-round due to the sunny and pleasant weather. Among the most important golf courses of the country:[18]

* Yasmine Valley in Hammamet
* Citrus (La Foret) in Hammamet
* El Kantaoui (Panorama) in Port El Kantaoui
* Tabarka golf course
* Citrus (Les Oliviers) in Hammamet
* Residence Tunis in Gammarth
* Flamingo Monastir
* El Kantaoui (Sea) in Port El Kantaoui
* Djerba (La Mer and Les Palmiers)
* Carthage golf course in La Soukra

A beach in Hammamet during the summer

### Marinas

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Tunisia is one of the African countries with the most marinas. Its yachting infrastructure attracts mostly European tourists who flee the harsh winter in their home countries to enjoy the pleasant weather and relatively warmer sea in Tunisia. The country is planning to create additional marinas in the coming years such as the one in the new modern economic center of Tunis Financial Harbor.

Sidi Bou Said marina

The existing marinas are 8 from the north to the south of the coast:

* Yasmine Hammamet Marina in Hammamet
* Bizerte Marina in Bizerte
* El Kantaoui Marina in Port El Kantaoui
* Sidi Bou Said Marina
* Gammarth Marina
* Tabarka Marina
* Marina Cap in Monastir
* Djerba Marina

### Theme parks

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Tunisia offers several theme parks and water parks in each of the main cities and tourist resorts and among them:[19]

* Carthage Land in Hammamet
* Aqua Palace in Sousse
* Aqua Splash in Sousse
* Aqua Land in Yasmine Hammamet
* Dreamy Sea Waterpark in Hammamet
* Aqua land in Berges du Lac, Tunis
* Big Splash in Djerba
* Le Pirate in Djerba

### Desert and film sets

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Douz desert dunes with camels and horses in the background during the sunset

The Tunisian desert represents a major tourist destination in the country. The oases add some greenness and shade to the aridity of the pristine environment and the hot sun of the Saharan dunes.

Since the Arab invasions on Tunisia, a growing population settled in the arid environment of the Numidian regions Medenine, Tataouine and Tozeur where they created oases as havens and also souks and old towns as new urban centers.[20]

Tozeur benefited from its extremely authentic old town and its souks to develop the tourism industry especially for the winter and spring seasons. Several hotels and maisons d’hote opened in Tozeur as well as some upscale units such as the world-famous Thai brand, Anantara in 2019 which is ranked as the best hotels in the world.[21]

Taking a horse carriage to visit the oases and to taste the delicious Deglet Nour as well as going to Chott el Djerid, the largest salt lake in the Sahara Desert are must-do activities in the region.[22] The canyons and rocky mountains of the south as in Mides and the Berber village of Chebika, Tozeur can be visited while taking the old and luxurious Lézard rouge train for a few ride hours stopping at many natural stations.

With George Lucas's inspiration for Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine coming from Tunisia, the Tunisian City Tataouine and Matmata's underground houses became tourist destinations. Numerous other Hollywood movies were filmed in the Tunisian south, such as The English Patient.[20]

### Festivals and nightlife

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Jason Derulo at the International Festival of Carthage

During the summer, Tunisia becomes the venue of a multitude of festivals welcoming Arab and world-famous stars as International Festival of Carthage, Hammamet International Festival and Djem Symphonic Festival. Outdoor bars and nightclubs have made of Tunisia's metropolitan areas very lively during the whole day in the summer and at night especially in Gammarth [23] and Hammamet.

### Shopping

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Souks and historical handicraft markets are present in the old towns of the country. They used to represent the commercial center of each city but they are now major tourist attractions. The old souks of Tunis for example have separated sections for each type of handicraft such as for the Chechia, the jewelry, etc.

Modern shopping infrastructure has also developed in the recent years attracting big international brands. Despite the creation of many new shopping malls such as Tunisia Mall in Berges du Lac, Mall of Sousse and Azur City Mall in the southern suburb of Tunis, they are all located in the capital city or in the coastal touristic cities.

Tunisia mall, a large mall in the capital Some luxury shops in the affluent neighborhood of Berges du Lac

### New developments

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In recent years, ecotourism, spas and medical tourism are emerging into Tunisia's tourist scene and growing quickly. According to the former Minister of Tourism Ahmed Smaou, "The medical tourism has a great future ahead of us."[24]

## Statistics

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In 2000, there were 197,400 hotel beds in roughly 95,977 rooms with an occupancy rate at 56%.[25] 5,057,193 travelers came to Tunisia that year.[25] That year, tourist expenditures were nearly $1.5 billion.[25] According to 2002 US Department of State estimates, the average daily cost of staying in Tunis or Carthage was $146, compared to $114 in other areas of Tunisia.[25]

Tourists in Sidi Bou Said, 2009

A large number of tourists to Tunisia come from Eastern Europe, and the nationalities of major tourist countries is shown here: Libyans (1,472,411 visitors), French (1,234,735), Algerians (945,324), Germans (547,403), Italians (464,323) and British (350,693).[5] There were 1,251,251 domestic tourists staying across the country for 2.75 million nights in 2006.[26]

### Recent years

[edit]

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Year  | Arrivals (million)  | Earnings (dinar)

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2010 [27] | 6.902.749  | 3.522,5
2011 [28] | 4.781.896  | 2.432,6
2012 [29] | 5.590.464  | 3.175,3
2013 [30] | 6.268.582  | 3.229,4
2014 [31] | 6.068.593  | 3.575,6
2015 [32] | 5.359.309  | 2.354,6
2016 [33] | 5.724,021  | 2.322,9
2017  | 7.051.993  | 2.713,1
2018  | 8.300.000  | 4.093,0
2019  | 9.429.000  | 5.612,2

## See also

[edit]

* Africa portal

* Index of Tunisia-related articles
* Visa policy of Tunisia

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Tourism in Africa

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History|

* Early history
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* 25 July 2021 self-coup

Geography|

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* Djerid
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tunisia.

## References

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1. ^ Elaine Glusac (22 November 2009). "A Night, and Day, In Tunisia at a New Resort". The New York Times.
2. ^ "Tunisia: International tourist trips". Our World In Data. August 17, 2024.
3. ^ "Global and regional tourism performance". www.unwto.org. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
4. ^ a b Nagle, Garrett (2000). Advanced geography. Oxford University Press. p. 417\. ISBN 0199134073.
5. ^ a b Bouamoud, Mohamed (2007-11-12). "Radioscopie du Tourisme tunisien 2003-2006". Webmanagercenter (in French). Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
6. ^ a b Heyer, Hazel (2008-03-12). "Tunisia tourism moves forward by sticking to the old". eturbonews.com. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
7. ^ Chetcuti, Kristina (9 July 2015). "Maltese strike Tunisia off destination list". Times of Malta. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
8. ^ Tunisia tourism revenues jump by 45%
9. ^ "Pandemic impact on Tunisia tourism 'catastrophic'".
10. ^ "Archaeological Site of Carthage". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
11. ^ "Dougga / Thugga". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
12. ^ "Amphitheatre of El Jem". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
13. ^ "Ichkeul National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
14. ^ "Kairouan". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
15. ^ "Medina of Sousse". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
16. ^ "Medina of Tunis". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
17. ^ "Punic Town of Kerkuane and its Necropolis". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
18. ^ "Top 100 Golf Courses - Tunisia". top 100 golf courses.
19. ^ "Les parcs aquatiques en Tunisie". Tunisie.co. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
20. ^ a b "Escaoades – Tozeur, perle du sud". lepetitjournal.com. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
21. ^ "A Tatooine journey in Tunisia with Anantara Tozeur Resort". www.incentivetravel.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
22. ^ "Anantara debuts in North Africa with launch of Anantara Tozeur Resort in Tunisia". www.traveldailynews.com. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
23. ^ Modak, Sebastian (29 October 2019). "Don't Sleep on Tunis, a City That's More Awake Than Ever Before". New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
24. ^ Hoorman, Chloé (2005-01-10). "Le grand bain de la mondialisation". L’Express (in French). Archived from the original on 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
25. ^ a b c d "Tunisia: Tourism, travel, and recreation". Nations Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
26. ^ Skander, Galia (2007-12-25). "Le tourisme intérieur : un vrai potentiel négligé". Tunisie Affaire (in French). Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
27. ^ (in French) Tourisme en chiffres pour l'année 2010
28. ^ (in French) Tourisme en chiffres statistiques-2011
29. ^ (in French) Tourisme en chiffres statistiques-2012
30. ^ (in French) Tourisme en chiffres statistiques-2013
31. ^ (in French) Réalisations du secteur touristique en 2014
32. ^ (in French) Réalisations du secteur touristique en 2015
33. ^ (in French) Réalisations du secteur touristique en 2016

## External links

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* Official website of the Office of Tunisian tourism

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