According to the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) report titled *“Balance of Payments and Tunisia’s Overall External Position” for 2024, the tourism sector recorded a strong performance last year, driven by promotional campaigns targeting both traditional European markets and the Maghreb market.
This remarkable growth is also explained by the sector’s continuous adaptation to new market demands and trends to enhance its attractiveness and competitiveness.
Regarding the European market, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of total tourism revenue, it generated TND 4,946 million in 2024, up 13.7% compared to 2023.
Real indicators confirmed this trend, with arrivals up 17.3% and overnight stays up 18.2%**, totaling 3 million visitors and 17.5 million nights, respectively.
Specifically, the French market remained the main source of European tourists in 2024, with arrivals increasing by 6.5% and overnight stays by 6.7%, reaching 1.1 million visitors and 4.7 million nights, respectively. This translated into a 7.4% increase in tourism revenue, amounting to TND 2,131 million.
Similar trends were observed in the German market, which maintained its position among the top-performing European tourism markets with nearly 332,000 visitors, making it the second-largest European clientele.
Overnight stays grew by 7%, exceeding 3 million nights, or 17.3% of total European nights, while tourism revenue increased by 8.8%, reaching TND 855 million in 2024.
The Polish market, which has steadily grown over the years, recorded particularly strong increases in arrivals and overnight stays in 2024 (+52.8% and +41.3%, respectively).
This growth resulted in a 42.2% rise in tourism revenue, reaching TND 453 million. The emergence of this market confirms the relevance of diversification and promotion strategies implemented by the sector.
A similar dynamic was noted for the Italian market, with tourism revenue increasing by 19.5%, reaching TND 317 million, alongside corresponding increases in arrivals and overnight stays of 18.9% each.
For other European countries, most showed an upward trend in 2024. In particular, the UK market saw rapidly growing tourist flows (+68.4%), generating TND 235 million in revenue, reflecting increases in arrivals and overnight stays (+68% and +62.9%, respectively).
In contrast, tourism revenue from the Russian market remained low at TND 37 million, correlating with declines in arrivals and overnight stays (-42.2% and -25%, respectively) due to air restrictions linked to the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
Regarding tourism revenue from Maghreb countries, it remained almost stagnant (-0.8%), totaling TND 2,035 million in 2024, or 26.8% of the total. However, trends varied by source market.
The Algerian market continued to play a key role, with nearly 3.5 million visitors in 2024, generating TND 959 million in revenue, an 11% increase. This performance reflects stable demand and strong bilateral ties.
In contrast, revenue from Libya declined by 9.5%, reaching TND 1,058 million, linked to decreases in overnight stays and arrivals (-6.8% and -26.7%, respectively).
Tourism revenue from other Arab countries increased by 18.4%, reaching TND 390 million, reflecting notable growth in arrivals and overnight stays from the Gulf countries (+48.3% and +50.4%, respectively).
Finally, tourism revenue from NAFTA countries went up by 2.3%, reaching TND 184 million, reflecting improvements in arrivals and overnight stays of North American tourists (+16.3% and +11.9%, respectively).
