Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism Sector:
Recovery from Crisis
in the OIC Member Countries
87
Tourism in Tunisia continued to flourish between 1987 and 2010, with investments in the sector
rising fromUS$ 53million in 1987 to US$ 212 million in 2009. The number of hotels reached 856
with 240,000 beds in 2009, while direct jobs in the sector rose to 96,000 and international
arrivals almost tripled, from 1,875,000 in 1987 to 7,049,000 in 2008, although they declined
slightly the following year in response to the global economic crisis. Foreign receipts were also
on the rise with the official figure in 2008 nearing US$3billion, up from US$ 474 million in 1987
(see also Table 4.3). The largest groups were from France, Germany, Italy and the UK, with
European visitors comprising around half of the total, while regional visitors were still mainly
from neighbouring Algeria and Libya.
Table 4.3: International Visitor Arrivals and Foreign Exchange Earnings - Tunisia
Year Number of arrivals
(000)
Receipts (US$ million )
1997 4,26 1,414
1998 4,718 1,557
1999 4,880 1,608
2000 5,057 1,496
2001 5,387 1,605
2002 5,064 1,523
2003 5,114 1,583
2004 5,998 1,970
2005 6,378 2,063
2006 6,550 2,275
2007 6,762 2,575
2008 7,049 2,953
2009 6,901 2,773
2010 6,902 2,645
2011 4,785 1,805
2012 5,950 2,227
2013 6,269 2,191
2014 6,069 2,359
2015 5,359 1,354
2016 5,724 1,082
Sources: Ministry of Tourism and Handicraft Statistics, UNWTO statistics
To diversify the products and develop areas other than the coast, the tourism sector witnessed
expansion in health and wellness tourism including thalassotherapy, golf and other sports,
heritage and desert tourism. By 2009 Tunisia had 45 thalassotherapy centers, 10 golf courses, 6
marinas, nine airports and seven sea-ports distributed in 11 tourism regions.
The sector also saw restructuring through closer partnerships and cooperation between the
public and private sectors, involving more stakeholders than before. This cooperation has
facilitated the gradual development of the sector on the regional level and expansion of new