Tunisia's Tourism Sector Faces Major Obstacles Despite Promising Prospects
Despite rising revenues and promising prospects for the 2025 season, Tunisia's tourism sector remains confronted with a series of major obstacles. This was revealed during a hearing session with the Minister of Tourism, organized by the Commission on Tourism, Culture, Services, and Handicrafts at the Assembly on July 16, 2025.
Among the main obstacles mentioned:
- High cost of land: Investors face soaring prices of private land and complex procedures to change their vocation.
- Limited access to financing: The sector's debt remains high, and banks are hesitant to support new tourism projects.
- Administrative burdens: Current procedures hinder the creation of tourist units, particularly in alternative accommodation.
- Lack of specialized human resources: Many establishments struggle to recruit qualified staff, including for quality control functions.
- Weak promotional means: Marketing budgets remain limited, especially for digital communication actions.
- Air transport shortcomings: Irregular flights and lack of connections penalize access to certain destinations.
- Tariff imbalances: Deputies noted the high cost of stays for Tunisians compared to often preferential rates for foreigners.
- Closure of numerous tourist units: Several establishments remain inactive, without clear rehabilitation plans.
- Violations of user rights: Cases of conditional sales, restrictions on beach access, and dress code imposition have been reported.
- Disorganization of the artisanal sector: Artisans face a lack of raw materials, high costs, and limited presence of valorization events, particularly in regions.
- Uncertainty around digital platforms: Some foreign platforms operate outside the Tunisian regulatory framework, particularly in alternative accommodation.
In light of this diagnosis, parliamentarians called for a structural reform of the sector, both legislatively, organizationally, and financially, to lift these blockages and ensure sustainable and inclusive development of Tunisian tourism.
