Tourism revenues in Tunisia has decreased by about 15 percent, from the beginning of the year until April 20, compared to the same period last year, recording 976.5 million dinars (334.4 million dollars), while the government expects the sector to suffer severe losses due to the spread of the Coronavirus.
According to data issued by the Central Bank of Tunisia, tourism revenues during the same period last year amounted to about 1.14 billion dinars ($393.4 million).
The tourism sector in Tunisia is going through the worst period since the terrorist attacks in the country in 2015, while a message sent by the government to the International Monetary Fund, earlier this month, showed that the tourism sector is threatened with losses that could reach 4 billion dinars (1.4 billion dollars) and 400 thousand of jobs lost due to the repercussions of the epidemic.
In the message, the government expected the economy to shrink by more than 4.3 percent during the current year (2020), in the worst recession since the country's independence in 1956.
Last year, Tunisia attracted about 9 million tourists, to achieve positive results that it had not reached in 9 years, as the sector's revenues amounted to about two billion dollars. The government fears foreign exchange resources will be harmed if the fallout of Corona continues for a longer period, which will erode the foreign exchange reserves, especially with the payment of external liabilities.
Source (New Arab newspaper, Edited)
