The Tunisian secretary of state for tourism is in talks with UK operators to resume flights to the destination this summer and jointly promote the country.
Slim Chaker, currently in the UK to hold talks with the trade, said a marketing campaign to promote Tunisia was due to launch on April 25 in time for the peak summer season.
This follows the revolution in the country in January, which has been followed by a wave of protests across the Middle East.
But he stressed funds for the campaign, which aims to promote Tunisia across trade and consumer channels without slashing prices long term, were “limited”.
He is hopeful of a compromise with Thomas Cook and Tui Travel, which have cancelled some regional charters to Enfidha in Tunisia follwing a drop-off in demand, based on the “special relationship” between the destination and UK operators.
He said: “The message to tour operators is simple: you have been working with us for 20 years and our relationship is more than just about business.
“There is a special relationship between operators and Tunisia and it’s about co-operating to build a new Tunisia. I can work with operators to find solutions. The biggest problem is transport. I am sure we can find a compromise.”
Tourism is the country’s biggest earner of foreign currency and employs 400,000 people. “Tourism is our oil,” added Chaker.
Details of the marketing campaign have yet to be released but Chaker admitted discounts could be used short-term to boost bookings. However, value-added offers which kept the headline price were preferable long term. “You will create confusion by lowering prices,” he added.
Consumers were already confused about the situation in Tunisia, he added, as a result of images of the country’s flag in media photographs and television footage of political protests across the Middle East.
Chaker said he had not ruled out an increase in the number of Brits visiting Tunisia this year if talks with the trade are successful. A total of 350,000 UK visitors went to Tunisia last year.
A government-funded upgrade programme to improve the quality of hotel accommodation has been underway in the country for the past two years, with 100 hotels already benefiting from improved facilities, he said.