Thomas Cook became the first leisure carrier to resume services to Tunisia on Wednesday with a near-full flight from Gatwick to Monastir and others from Belfast, Manchester and Birmingham.
The departure from Gatwick on a 230-seat aircraft was more than 90% full. Passenger Carol Moore of Rainham said she was happy to be on the flight.
“I’m not worried at all. I normally go out at this time of year and I’ll be back in June with my daughter and granddaughter,” she told Travel Weekly.
Thomas Cook was the first major operator to withdraw from Tunisia as demonstrations across the country early in the year brought down the government. The company repatriated the majority of clients on January 14. It subsequently cancelled departures until March 2.
Cheaper deals
Moore paid £250 for a week’s all-inclusive holiday in Sousse, including the cost of a single supplement. She said she had paid £110 more for the same holiday a year ago. She knows Tunisia well, having been 23 times before.
“I wasn’t at all worried by the unrest,” she said. “I thought it was about time they [Tunisian people] stuck up for themselves. I don’t blame them.” However, she added: “I think the trouble will put a lot of people off visiting Tunisia.”
That view was not shared by fellow passengers. Patricia Wildon of Norwich was part-way through a holiday in Sousse in January when she was repatriated by Thomas Cook.
“It was difficult to get information at the time,” she said. “Then there was a curfew on the night of January 14 and we heard gunshots. In the morning I was told to get out and we went to the airport straightaway. There were military everywhere and there had been looting. But I didn’t feel threatened in any way. I was desperate to go back. Now I’ve got three weeks in Sousse.”
A Thomas Cook spokesman said a week’s stay at an all-inclusive was selling last week for £199 compared with a brochure price of £399. He added that about 50% of customers booked to travel during the period flights were suspended had subsequently cancelled holidays.
A handful of mainly seat-only customers stayed on throughout that period. Nine were due to fly back to Gatwick on the return flight on Wednesday and another 16 to Newcastle, having turned down the option in the meantime of flying back with British Airways or Tunis Air.
This week, departing Monastir airport and heading by car to Sousse, it was hard to detect any signs of the unrest that triggered revolt across the entire region – other than perhaps the broad smile on every Tunisian face.
Incentives
Back in the UK, operators and hotels are incentivising agents to start selling Tunisia again in an attempt to revive the market.
Riu Hotels is lowering rates and offering agents ‘double points’ for bookings to any of its 10 Tunisian properties.
Head of sales and marketing Paul Bunce said: “Tui restarts its flights there on March 13 and it’s important we support them and get the destination back.
“It needs to recover and you need to take the pain with these things short-term in order to get the interest back.”
A Travelweekly.co.uk poll revealed that most agents believed that Tunisia would have to reduce its prices to tempt back guests. Just 35% thought Tunisia could win back customers without discounts.
The turbulence has failed to have a significant impact on Tunisia’s growing popularity, according to the latest figures from industry analyst GfK Ascent. For the week to February 26, there were 3,500 bookings to Tunisia and the country’s market share was only marginally down, from 2.8% to 2.2%.