VIKING CRUISES will resume calls to Tunisia from January 2017, Selma Elloumi-Rekik, Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts said Thursday.
Speaking at a reception before the departure of German cruise ship EUROPA, the minister said the return of cruises in Tunisia marks the beginning of the recovery of this very important activity for Tunisian tourism and handicrafts.
For his part, boat captain Olaf Hartmann, expressed satisfaction at the quality of reception of cruise passengers, saying the call to Tunis was an opportunity to discover the rich Tunisian culture and crafts.
German liner “Europa” docked Thursday at the Port of Goulette, marking the return of cruise ships to Tunisia, for the first time since March 18, 2015 terrorist attack on the Bardo Museum.
85% of the 310 passengers on board are German; there are also Australians, Canadians and Colombians, said the representative of Afrimar, the general agent of Europa in Tunisia.
The 284-member crew ship departed from Barcelona port on Tuesday bound for Tunisia for the first time since 2014.
After making port call in La Goulette with visits scheduled in Carthage, Sidi Bou Saïd and the Medina of Tunis, Europa will set sail to Skikda, Algiers and Oran then to Morocco’s Tangier and Casablanca before heading back to Europe.
