Following the tragic incidents in Tunisia earlier this year, and with advice from the FCO still warning against all travel to the region, the Tunisian National Tourist Office hopes to overcome this restriction and is looking into innovative ways to come back as an attractive British tourist destination.
In a nod to its Travel Bulletin Star Award win this year and directly addressing UK travel agents in thanks, director general of the National Office of Tunisia Tourism, Abdellatif Hamam, said: ?During this difficult time we certainly feel that we are supported and that agents are all trying their best to bring the support they can to Tunisia and to overcome this feeling of doubt.?
Today the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts will meet with the Foreign Office. ?What we have to do now is to overcome this restriction,? Hamam commented, ?We understand that the British Government has to ensure that the security measures are there, that the country is safe and we appreciate the fact that the UK government has decided to bring all the support they can at this level of managing security with bi-lateral co-operation between Tunisia?s security body and UK experts.
?We are asking for specific consideration to Tunisia; to the Tunisian people, to Tunisian democracy and to the Tunisian experience. We want the UK government to help Tunisia at this time and we are confident that in the following weeks things will move.?
For now the national tourist office will be concentrating on its image and reassuring the general public that Tunisia is ready to welcome them back. Noting the tremendous and continued support of the UK travel trade, and that eight-out-of-ten bookings to the destination are made through travel agents, the tourist office is keen to pick up on agent roadshows and presentations once the ban has been lifted.
