Visit to Tunisia (9): conclusion
Tunisia deserves to be more popular as a tourist attraction, especially with Europeans, than it is.
For the British, it is a flight of only two to two and a half hours and there is no time difference. All the signage is in French as well as Arabic, French is widely spoken, and English is usually understood. The roads are good.
In spring and autumn, the weather is sunny and hot but not unpleasantly so. Prices are low by western standards.
For those who appreciate culture, there are many impressive Roman ruins and spectacular collections of mosaics plus mosques and mausoleums (although entry to the former is usually forbidden to non-Muslims). The medinas are simply magical. For those who like to relax, there are lots of beaches and good hotels.
It is a decade since there were attacks by Islamic extremists on tourists and Tunisians practice a more relaxed form of Islam than in the Middle East.
Tunisia was never as appealing to tourists as Morocco or Egypt and visitor numbers have not recovered from the Covid pandemic, but this makes it more attractive to those who do visit.
Note, however, that there is a tourist tax in Tunisia which currently is 12 dinars (about £3) per person per night. This is collected by the hotel on registering or checking out.
Politically, Tunisia has failed to use its independence to achieve genuine democracy. The first president served for 30 years before doctors declared him unfit to rule, while his successor, who mounted a coup d’etat, was in office for 23 years before being overthrown early in the Arab Spring of 2011.
The first democratically-elected president died in office aged 92 and his successor, who is still in office, has instituted a swath of anti-democratic and repressive measures.