Tunisia is increasingly asserting itself as a cruise destination in the Mediterranean. After welcoming 50,000 passengers in 2022, the country is preparing to cross a major CAP with nearly 400,000 cruise passengers expected by the end of 2025. The port of La Goulette, which received 3,000 international tourists on Tuesday on a “Costa Cruise” ship, illustrates this dynamic.
Spectacular traffic growth
According to Sami Debbiche, managing director of the Goulette cruise terminal, traffic experiences “exponential” progression. From 50,000 passengers in 2022, the first year of recovery after seven years of interruption, the figure has increased several hundred thousand.
In a declaration to the TAP agency, he said that:
“The total number of expected cruise lines should reach nearly 400,000 this year. In 2022, the year of resumption of cruises in Tunisia after seven years of absence, we welcomed 50,000 tourists. The objective is to attract, in total 500,000 cruise passengers in 2026 ”.
The ship welcomed this Tuesday represents the third stopover of “Costa Cruises” in Tunisia this year. The company alone plans to send 135,000 passengers between 2025 and 2026, an important part of the expected flows.
Tourists landing in La Goulette discover the flagship sites of the region, from the Medina of Tunis to Sidi Bou Saïd and Carthage. More than 300 taxis have been mobilized to accompany visitors. Another novelty: the cruises, previously limited from March to October, will now be extended to the whole year, strengthening the attractiveness of the destination.
