Hotels closed, renovation difficulties, indebtedness… for those who follow the headlines, the Tunisian hotel industry seems to be stuck in its problems. The reality is quite different.
Despite the desertion of banks to finance the sector, the Tunisian hotel industry is renovating and evolving, thanks to local and international investors and professionals. In 2024, Tunisia entered the top 10 African countries in terms of the number of opening contracts signed by international chains: 18 hotels for over 4,000 rooms*. Also read Hotel chains in Tunisia: the state of play, our survey of Tunisian and foreign hotel chains.
There is also no shortage of hotel takeovers by local investors. The Tunisian hotel industry is definitely undergoing a revival, even if the pace is slow. Too slow, perhaps, for the country’s tourism development potential: it’s urgent to consider ways of speeding things up. We suggest a few.
By Lotfi Mansour, tourism consultant (former director of specialized magazines; initiator and Honorary President of the Tunisia Convention Bureau).
* Source: W Hospitality Group “Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa” 2024. Also read on touriscope.tn: ‘Independent hotels/chains: the state of play’
Production: MCM.