Predominance of inbound tourism, contribution of 10.2% to the Tunisian economy: these are the main conclusions of last week’s summary of the Tourism Satellite Account by the Institut National de la Statistique for the year 2023.
The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) provides an estimate of the total weight of tourism in the Tunisian economy, by reconciling inbound tourism (international visitors and non-resident foreigners) and domestic tourism (nationals and resident foreigners). These two components are grouped together under the Internal Tourism aggregate.
According to the report published last week by the Institut National de la Statistique (INS), the TSA reveals a total tourist consumption (tourist expenditure) of 14,501.9 million dinars for the year 2023. Inbound tourism accounts for 72.3% of this total, with 10,487.3 million dinars. Domestic tourism accounts for only 27.6% of spending.
According to this report, while tourism GDP represents only 4.9% of national GDP, tourism consumption accounts for 10.2% of the country’s total added value (142 billion dinars). This 10.2% figure, concludes the INS, “can be roughly equated with the total contribution, both direct and indirect, of tourism to the Tunisian economy”.
The importance of accommodation
An analysis of tourist spending by branch reveals the importance of accommodation, which accounts for an average of 36% of total spending (only 26% for locals and 39% for international visitors).
We also note the low contribution of passenger transport (the INS specifies that this aggregate only takes into account national carriers), which represents only 16% of the total and 21% of inbound tourism. This weakness seems to be correlated with the market share of Tunisian airlines, and secondarily of CTN.
Finally, employment figures are not included in this report, and will be the subject of a later publication containing “more detailed results… with the added bonus of an estimate of direct employment in tourism”.