UNWTO Secretary-General was invited by the Government of Tunisia for an official visit on March 20-22, coinciding with the 63rd independence of Tunisia and the inauguration of the 36th Craft creation Fair.

Mr.Pololikashvili met with the head of state, H.E. Mr. Beji Caid Essebsi to discuss the role of tourism in Tunisia’s economy and congratulated Tunisia on its resilience as seen by the strong recovery of the tourism industry in 2017, with a 23.2% increase in international arrivals.

Furthermore, meeting with H.E. Mr. Youssef Chahed, head of Government reviewed the measures undertook by Tunisia to increase its security levels to ensure the country was safe and secure to welcome tourism.

Discussions with the Minister of Tourism and Handicraft focused on the potential of the destination to diversify both its demand and offer by targeting China, countries of the Middle East but also other countries of the continent.  Topics of visa openness and air connectivity were also addressed during the meeting with the Minister of Foreign affairs, emphasizing the need to focus on new markets.

The official visit to Tunisia included the visit of several Tunisian landmarks such as the Medina of Tunis, and the Bardo Museum, one of the most important museums in the Mediterranean region as it is the second museum of the African continent after the Egyptian Museum of Cairo by richness of its collections.

During the inauguration of the 36th Craft creation Fair, the Minister of Tourism and handicraft highlighted the need to valorize cultural handicraft and recognized the need for regional cooperation as seen with the presence of Algeria and Morocco.

As per the signing of an MoU with Tunisia, UNWTO will continue supporting Tunisia on the revival of its tourism industry through capacity building workshop for statistics, hotel certification and tourism education programmes.