São Paulo – From January to August this year, 1,320 Brazilians travelled to Tunisia, up 76% from the same period in 2011, according to the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism. The figures indicate that demand for trips to the country picked up after the Arab Spring, which erupted in the country early last year as a wave of protests led to the ousting of dictator Zine El Abdine Ben Ali, and to elections being held.
The businesswoman Helena Romano, of the São Paulo-based travel agency HR Viagens e Turismo, for which Tunisia is a leading destination, claimed that demand has risen. “I did sense an increase. Travels to Tunisia had come to a halt because of the Arab Spring, but from October last year onwards, the demand returned,” she said. The parliamentary election which enabled a new government to be formed took place in October 2011.
For Slim Fsili, of Tunísia Tur, also in São Paulo, an even greater increase may take place before the year ends. “The demand [usually] improves in the second half. We should see a 30% increase as against the first half,” he said. He emphasized that the weather gets milder in September, once the scorching North African summer is over.
Fsili estimates that the number of Brazilian visitors should reach 1,800 this year and up to 3,000 a year in the near future, but believes the figures could be much higher. “There is a dearth of promotional work, because there is no [tourism] representation bureau. The [Tunisian] government is not active on the Brazilian market [when it comes to tourism], there is a lack of marketing,” he said.
The promotion is left to the operators themselves, such as Romano and Fsili, who take actions such as inviting journalist to visit the country, publish advertisements and attend industry fairs. The owner of Tunísia Tur claimed that government-backed marketing has worked well in other countries.
“Countries such as the Dominican Republic, which used to receive as many Brazilians four years ago as Tunisia does today, is now receiving 40,000,” he said. He also mentioned the Czech Republic, Jordan and Morocco.
Romano said travel packages for Tunisia are already available for October, the New Year, and the Carnival holiday. In Tunisia, according to him, Brazilians look mostly for the Sahara Desert, but because the general public knows little about the country, they end up surprised with the variety of tourist spots. “Each day is a new surprise,” he said.
Fsili added that cultural tourism also attracts much interest, considering the country’s major historical, architectural, and artistic heritage. It is worth noting that Tunisia has been home to great civilizations ever since Antiquity. Tunis, the capital, was built in the place of the old Carthage, a city-state which competed with the Roman Republic for control of the Mediterranean. Hannibal left Carthage with his army and his elephants, intent on wrecking the Eternal City, in one of the most widely commented adventures in history.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum