On the set of the French show Estelle Midibroadcast on RMC, a testimony recently attracted attention. Mathieu, a French citizen, speaks candidly about his choice of destination for the end-of-year celebrations: Tunisia.
“At Christmas, I’m going to Tunisia. We are 700 euros per person in an all-inclusive club with unlimited food and plane flight. When we see that a New Year’s meal costs 160 euros, cheaper than staying at home… I go 4 to 5 times a year,” he explains, illustrating an increasingly marked reality in Mediterranean tourism.
This type of speech, widely relayed on European television sets, reinforces the image of Tunisia perceived as a low-cost tourist Eldoradoparticularly attractive for European middle classes faced with soaring prices in their own countries.
A competitive destination in terms of prices
It must be recognized: Tunisia has undeniable assets. Geographical proximity to Europe, mild climate, abundant hotel infrastructure, know-how in tourist reception and a price offer that is difficult to compete with. In an inflationary context in Europe, the “all-inclusive” packages offered by tour operators are hitting the mark.
For many travelers, the comparison is unrelenting: the cost of a week’s stay in Tunisia can be lower than that of a simple festive dinner in a major European capital. This competitiveness largely contributes to the revival of the tourism sector and the increase in visitor flows.
But behind this attractiveness lies a more nuanced reality. The all-inclusive model, while it guarantees high occupancy rates for hotels, does not fully benefit the local economy. Tourist spending remains mostly confined within hotel complexes, often controlled by chains or foreign partners.
The downside of the all-inclusive model
Result: little impact for traders, artisans, independent restaurants, tourist guides or local transport. The added value created on site remains limited, while the pressure on local resources, environment and infrastructure continues to increase.
This logic also maintains excessive dependence on international tour operators, who impose their prices and compress the margins of Tunisian hoteliers. In the long term, this weakens the economic fabric of the sector and limits the capacity for investment, innovation and upgrading.
Even more, this image of a “cheap” destination can slow down the development of tourism with higher added value, cultural, ecological or experiential, yet bringing better economic and social benefits.
Towards a new tourism model?
Mathieu’s testimony, as revealing as it is, therefore poses a central question: does Tunisia want to remain a low-cost destination for Europe or does it aim for more balanced and sustainable tourism?
Professionals in the sector agree on the need to diversify the offer, encourage stays outside of hotels, promote inland regions and better integrate local players into the tourism value chain.
Tunisia is undeniably attractive. But for tourism to become a real lever for development, the challenge is no longer just to attract visitors, but to better capture the wealth they generate.
