Over 6 Million Tourists Visit Tunisia in First Nine Months of 2018

Sidi Bou Said, one of Tunisia's main resorts. (Getty Images)
Sidi Bou Said, one of Tunisia's main resorts. (Getty Images)
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Over 6 Million Tourists Visit Tunisia in First Nine Months of 2018

Sidi Bou Said, one of Tunisia's main resorts. (Getty Images)
Sidi Bou Said, one of Tunisia's main resorts. (Getty Images)

Tunisia’s tourism continued to rebound from devastating terrorist attacks three years ago as more than six million foreign travelers visit the country in the first nine months of 2018, according to government data.

Arrivals rose 16.9 percent to 6.3 million in the nine months to the end of September, surpassing the number for the whole of 2014.

Terrorist attacks in 2015 included one at the National Bardo museum in Tunis and another targeting a beach resort in Sousse, which together killed 59 foreign tourists and a Tunisian guard.

Tourist arrivals bounced back in 2017 to above their pre-attack levels.

Tourism revenues in the first nine months of 2018 totaled just over 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion), a rise of 27.6 percent year-on-year.

But receipts were only two thirds of the level recorded for 2014 as a whole.

Inflation and excessive reliance on beachside holiday packages have slowed the longer-term recovery of revenues, industry experts told AFP.

Arrivals from Europe and Russia rose nearly 45 percent, accounting for much of the surge, despite concerns that the hot European summer and the football World Cup could limit demand for Tunisian destinations.

Tourism Minister Selma Elloumi Rekik told AFP in May that she expected total arrivals to exceed eight million in 2018, higher than the seven million recorded in 2010, a benchmark year for Tunisian tourism.

Tour operator Thomas Cook, which suspended its Tunisia holidays in the wake of the June 2015 Sousse attack, resumed operations in February.



China Says Successful US Trade Talks Make Return to Tariff War Unnecessary

Wang Wentao, China's Minister of Commerce, speaks during a press conference in Beijing on July 18, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
Wang Wentao, China's Minister of Commerce, speaks during a press conference in Beijing on July 18, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
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China Says Successful US Trade Talks Make Return to Tariff War Unnecessary

Wang Wentao, China's Minister of Commerce, speaks during a press conference in Beijing on July 18, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
Wang Wentao, China's Minister of Commerce, speaks during a press conference in Beijing on July 18, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)

China wants to bring its trade ties with the US back to a stable footing, its commerce minister said, adding that recent talks in Europe showed there was no need for a tariff war while urging the US to act in a manner befitting of a superpower.

According to Reuters, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told reporters on Friday that the "ups and downs" in the two countries' relationship underscored their economic interdependence.

Asked about the United States specifically, Wang said: "Major countries should act like major countries. They must shoulder their responsibilities," adding that China would protect its national interests.

China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with the United States, after Beijing and Washington reached a preliminary deal last month to end weeks of escalating tit-for-tat tariffs.

If no deal is reached, global supply chains could face renewed turmoil from duties exceeding 100%.

Wang said negotiations in Geneva and London earlier this year demonstrated there was no need to return to a trade war.

"Practice has proven that through dialogue and consultation, with leadership and communication at the highest levels, we can properly manage contradictions and resolve our differences," he said.

"We will continue to strengthen dialogue and communication, deepen consensus, reduce misunderstandings, enhance cooperation, to jointly put China-US economic and trade relations back on track to achieve healthy, stable and sustainable development."

China's rare earths exports rose 32% month-on-month in June, customs data showed on Monday, in a sign that agreements struck last month in London to free up the flow of the metals were possibly bearing fruit.

Chipmaker Nvidia will also resume selling its H20 AI chips to China, Chief Executive Jensen Huang said at an event in Beijing this week, a move US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said was also part of negotiations on rare earths.

Wang said on Friday that he had met Huang the previous day, describing the meeting as evidence that "as the dust settles, everyone has come to the conclusion - especially the US side - that forced decoupling is impossible."

Wang said the current overall tariff level imposed by the US on China was "still high" at 53.6%. Analysts have said that additional duties exceeding 35% will probably wipe out Chinese manufacturers' profit margins.

"Both sides have come to understand that they need each other, as lots of the goods and services that we exchange are irreplaceable, or at least difficult to exchange in the short-term," Wang said.

"China does not want a trade war, but it is not afraid of one," he reiterated.