Home » Africa » New World Travel & Tourism Council Report Predicts Historic $7.36 Billion Growth for Tunisia’s Tourism Economy in 2024
Thursday, June 27, 2024
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Tunisia’s travel and tourism sector is expected to contribute a record TND23 billion to the national economy this year, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said in an economic impact study report on June 26, 2024. The sector is expected to reach new heights in terms of economic impact, employment rates and local tourist spending.
Spending by international tourists has been slow to recover and is not expected to match 2019’s peak levels this year, although the WTTC predicts it will get close.
The sector is projected to account for 14 percent of Tunisia’s total economic output, while travel and tourism employment is expected to grow 3.9 percent annually to about 418,000, representing a ninth of the country’s jobs.
Domestic tourist spending is forecast to increase 5% year-on-year to TND11.7 billion, slightly above 2019’s figure by 0.7%.
Spending by international visitors is expected to grow by more than 12 percent to nearly 11 billion Tanzanian dinars, but remain about 9 percent lower than its 2019 peak.
The Tunisian government’s revival of the High Council for Tourism is expected to foster public-private collaboration and help achieve these projections.
Reviewing the past year:
According to a recent study, the travel and tourism sector’s share of Tunisia’s GDP last year increased by around 24% compared to the previous year, reaching around TND21 billion.
Employment in the sector grew by nearly 10 percent, creating more than 402,000 jobs, accounting for about 11.5 percent of the nation’s total.
Domestic tourism spending increased by more than 7% year-on-year to exceed TND11 billion.
International tourism spending showed impressive growth of 48.8% year-on-year to TND9.6 billion, but was still nearly 19% below 2019 levels.
Looking ahead to the next decade:
WTTC projects that with the right government support, by 2034, the sector’s annual contribution to Tunisia’s GDP could exceed TND32 billion, account for 16% of the economy and employ more than 485,000 people.
Regional Outlook:
In North Africa, the travel and tourism sector is expected to contribute TND225.7 billion to the regional economy this year, 8.5% of the total economy. The number of jobs supported by the sector is expected to grow to 5.3 million, accounting for one in 11 jobs in the region.
Domestic and international visitor spending this year is forecast to be TND97.5 billion and TND101.9 billion, respectively.