The Ministry of Tourism is working on the development of a strategy aiming at raising the contribution rate of domestic tourism to about 50% of the total arrivals, said Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Mohamed Moez Belhassine.
Speaking during the National Forum on Domestic Tourism held on Wednesday under the slogan “Tounes Lik” (Tunisia is for you), Belhassine added that this event aims at discussing and exchanging ideas to define a development strategy for domestic tourism.
This strategy will be carried out within the framework of cooperation with the “Visit Tunisia” programme and the various actors of the sector, he added.
Belhassine also stressed that the ministry and the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT) will continue the promotion efforts in 2022, in coordination with the professionals and all the stakeholders through the implementation of national promotion campaigns for domestic tourism and the participation in all the events.
He indicated that due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world and the sanitary restrictions in the travel between the cities and the tourist sites, the number of arrivals in the hotels has fallen by 46%, to reach 1.3 million arrivals (3 million overnight stays), against approximately 2.5 million, in 2019.
The minister has recalled in this context the easing of restrictions according to the evolution of the epidemiological situation in 2021, to ensure the sustainability of the tourism sector, hence an increase in the number of arrivals of about 62% and the number of overnight stays in hotel units of 49% to reach about 4.6 million overnight stays.
He added that the share of domestic tourism, in terms of overnight stays, represents about 57%, against an annual average of 20%, which explains the important role that domestic tourism has played in limiting the repercussions of the pandemic.
For his part, President of the Consumer Defence Organisation, Ammar Dhaya, has emphasised the need to give more interest to the Tunisian tourist by focusing on quality.
Dhaya stressed the need to consider domestic tourism as a right for all Tunisians and to encourage Tunisians to consume local handicrafts to enable professionals to promote their products and join the national economic dynamic.
For her part, President of the Tunisian Federation of the Hotel Industry (FTH), Dorra Miled, has stressed that domestic tourism is one of the priorities of the FTH, given its essential role in the revival of the sector and the contribution to development.
She stressed that a field study on domestic tourism and the development of tourist services in hotel units has been carried out in order to guarantee the improvement of their quality and their adaptation to the habits of Tunisians in terms of food, accommodation conditions, sports and cultural activities.
Milad indicated that the development of the services provided is not the sole responsibility of the hotel units, but rather of all parties, including the municipalities, to enhance the natural, cultural, civilisational and historical content of Tunisia.
