Tunisia cushions tourism sector

Tunisia has announced a slew of measures to cushion the tourism industry.  The move is to try to limit the devastating effect of restrictions imposed to curb spread of the coronavirus on the crucial tourism sector.

Tourism Minister Habib Ammar highlights the effects of restrictions on tourism.

"Regarding the income of tourism, it has decreased by 62% or 61.7% for those who like precision. The number of touristic nights has decreased by 80.5%", Ammar told a news conference.

The Tourism Minister then outlined the next line of actions to boost the North African nation's tourism sector inspite of the pandemic.

"We will allow for the tourists to come and camp in the desert, while respecting the sanitary protocol for tourists and while remaining in organized trips", he added.

Tourism is crucial to Tunisia’s economy. The sector accounts for about 8 percent of the country’s national output.

It is the country's second largest employer with about 400,000 people involved in the industry.

Late June, Tunisia reopened its air, land and sea borders as daily numbers of confirmed covid-19 cases decline.