About 45 Tunisian Hotels Affected by Collapse of Thomas Cook

Shopkeepers wait for customers in front of a souvenir shop following Thomas Cook's collapse, in Hammamet, Tunisia, September 24, 2019. (Reuters)
Shopkeepers wait for customers in front of a souvenir shop following Thomas Cook's collapse, in Hammamet, Tunisia, September 24, 2019. (Reuters)
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About 45 Tunisian Hotels Affected by Collapse of Thomas Cook

Shopkeepers wait for customers in front of a souvenir shop following Thomas Cook's collapse, in Hammamet, Tunisia, September 24, 2019. (Reuters)
Shopkeepers wait for customers in front of a souvenir shop following Thomas Cook's collapse, in Hammamet, Tunisia, September 24, 2019. (Reuters)

About 45 hotels have been affected in Tunisia after the collapse of Thomas Cook, and the government will help the hotels with soft loans, Tunisia's tourism minister said on Tuesday.

Tourism is a vital sector of Tunisia’s economy and a key source of foreign exchange earnings. It accounts for around 8 percent of economic output and employs 400,000 people.

The collapse of Thomas Cook, one of Britain's oldest companies, has stranded more than half a million tourists around the world. It ran hotels, resorts and airlines for 19 million people a year in 16 countries.

Thomas Cook owes Tunisian hotels 60 million euros ($66 million) for stays in July and August, Tourism Minister Rene Trabelsi told Reuters earlier on Monday.

On Tuesday, Trabelsi held a crisis meeting with the British ambassador in Tunisia and hotel owners over Thomas Cook´s debt.

He said that the British government has pledged to pay Thomas Cook's debt but had not set a fixed term.

About 45 Tunisian hotels deal exclusively with Thomas cook.

"We have a proposal to open a line of financing of the affected hotels...we will call for ministerial council to study how we can help them," Trabelsi said.

The British government repatriated about 1,200 tourists via planes sent to Tunisa’s Enfidha airport, and another 4,000 still in Tunisia will return after their holidays.

Tunisia had expected to receive a record 9 million tourists by the end of 2019, up from 8 million last year.



Oil Edges Down amid Bearish Trump Tariff Outlook

A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo
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Oil Edges Down amid Bearish Trump Tariff Outlook

A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo

Oil prices declined moderately on Thursday as investors weighed the potential impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs on global economic growth.

Brent crude futures were down 23 cents, or 0.3%, at $69.96 a barrel by 0904 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude fell 32 cents, or 0.5%, to $68.06 a barrel.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, with a punitive 50% tariff on exports to the US, after a public spat with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

He has also announced plans for tariffs on copper, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals and his administration sent tariff letters to the Philippines, Iraq and others, adding to over a dozen letters issued earlier in the week including for powerhouse US suppliers South Korea and Japan.

Trump's history of backpedaling on tariffs has caused the market to become less reactive to such announcements, said Harry Tchilinguirian, group head of research at Onyx Capital Group.

"People are largely in wait and see mode, given the erratic nature of policy making and the flexibility the administration is showing around tariffs," Tchilinguirian said.

Policymakers remain worried about the inflationary pressures from Trump's tariffs, with only "a couple" of officials at the Federal Reserve's June 17-18 meeting saying they felt interest rates could be reduced as soon as this month, minutes of the meeting released on Wednesday showed.

Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive and reduce demand for oil, Reuters said.

Supporting oil prices however was a weaker US dollar in Thursday's Asia trading session, said OANDA senior analyst Kelvin Wong. A weaker dollar lifts oil prices by making it cheaper for holders of other currencies.

US crude stocks rose while gasoline and distillate inventories fell last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Gasoline demand rose 6% to 9.2 million barrels per day last week, the EIA said.

Global daily flights were averaging 107,600 in the first eight days of July, an all-time high, with flights in China reaching a five-month peak and port and freight activities indicating "sustained expansion" in trade activities from last year, JP Morgan said in a client note.

"Year to date, global oil demand growth is averaging 0.97 million barrels per day, in line with our forecast of 1 million barrels per day," the note said.

Additionally, there is doubt the recent increase in production quotas announced by OPEC+ will result in an actual increase in production, as some members are already exceeding their quotas, said Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG.

"And others, like Russia, are unable to meet their targets due to damaged oil infrastructure," he said.

OPEC+ oil producers are set to approve another big output boost for September, as they complete both the unwinding of voluntary production cuts by eight members, and the United Arab Emirates' move to a larger quota.