“Be careful, the conditions for traveling to Tunisia change in 2025,” recently titled Le Figaro, reflecting growing concern in the face of the new regulations which will require a passport for all foreign visitors from January 1, 2025.
If this measure arouses questions in the tourism sector, the Tunisian authorities put its impact on: only 11% of visitors used their identity card as now as a travel document.
Helmi Hassine, Managing Director of the Tunisian National Tourism Office (ONT), even estimates this overvalued percentage. During the “Mega Fun Tour” event in Djerba, he stressed that the measure, prepared for a year in consultation with the tour operators, should only affect 5% to 7% of tourist flows. “Professionals in the sector have already informed their customers, and the impact should remain limited,” he said.
However, this new regulation raises concerns, particularly concerning last -minute trips and organized groups accustomed to simplified formalities. Tourist operators will have to redouble their communication efforts to prevent refusal of boarding and border complications.
Faced with competing countries which continue to accept identity cards, some tourism professionals judge the counterproductive measure and fear for the competitiveness of the Tunisian destination. The authorities, they see it as a necessary modernization of administrative procedures, while recognizing that an effective support for the sector will be crucial to avoid dissuading potential visitors.
