Tunisia’s tourism recovery has brought back volume. Under Mohamed Mehdi Haloui, the next task is to improve the quality, spread and economic value of that demand. He became director general of the Tunisian National Tourist Office in April 2025, moving into the top role after serving as the organisation’s investment director and working directly on tourism development projects.
As investment director, he encountered the central weakness in Tunisia’s recovery proposition: demand can return faster than ageing assets can be renewed. Financing hotel renovations is difficult when rates are low, seasons are short and operators carry legacy debt. Haloui’s experience evaluating projects gives him a realistic view of what marketing can and cannot fix. Stronger demand must create enough pricing power to support refurbishment and a better product.
His appointment also joined two functions that are often separated. The tourist office influences brand, trade relationships and airlift, while investment decisions determine what visitors find on arrival. Haloui can use market evidence to identify which products need support and can make promotion more credible by aligning it with genuine improvements in hotels, heritage sites, wellness and southern desert circuits.
That background gives Haloui a useful perspective. Destination marketing is most effective when the product can support the promise. As an investment specialist, he saw the financing, renovation and infrastructure questions that determine whether hotels and experiences meet changing visitor expectations.
Tunisia welcomed approximately 11.3 million non-resident visitors in 2025, an increase of 10.4 per cent. Tourism revenue rose 6.5 per cent to roughly $2.8 billion. The difference between arrival and revenue growth illustrates the strategic challenge: Tunisia needs to capture more value from each visit rather than compete primarily through price and volume.
The country’s beach resorts remain a major strength. Djerba, Hammamet, Sousse and Monastir have recognised brands, extensive room supply and established links with European tour operators. Yet dependence on seasonal packages can place pressure on rates, employment and coastal resources. Haloui’s mandate includes presenting a broader Tunisia without weakening the distribution that supports the core resort economy.
The ingredients are substantial. Carthage, Tunis and Kairouan offer cultural depth; the south provides Sahara landscapes and film heritage; thalassotherapy and wellness can attract higher-spending visitors; gastronomy, crafts and boutique accommodation can connect tourism with local enterprise. Meetings, golf and long-stay travel can also help extend the season.
Trade engagement is a practical part of that diversification. In 2026, the tourist office supported a large familiarisation programme for 180 German travel agents with Discover Airlines, Iberostar and Expipoint. Bringing sellers into the destination allows them to experience the product, address safety questions and build itineraries with more confidence than a campaign alone can create.
Air connectivity remains decisive. Tunisia is close to Europe, but route frequency, charter capacity and seasonality influence which regions can attract international demand. The tourist office must align campaigns with available seats and work with carriers and tour operators early enough to shape programmes.
Haloui also faces the investment gap. Some hotel stock requires renovation, while emerging regions need carefully scaled accommodation and visitor services. Incentives must attract capital without encouraging oversupply or disconnected enclaves. His experience as investment director should help link market evidence with project priorities.
Better measurement will decide whether that strategy works. Haloui needs to distinguish between inexpensive volume that fills beds for a short season and demand that supports employment, renovation and local businesses throughout the year. Connecting campaign, airline, hotel and spending data can give Tunisia a more useful performance picture than border arrivals alone.
The strongest measure of success will not be another arrival record on its own. It will be higher spending, longer seasons, improved hotel quality and more income reaching communities beyond the main resort zones. Haloui has moved from evaluating tourism projects to leading the national organisation that helps create demand for them. That connection between investment and marketing may be exactly what Tunisia needs to turn recovery into renewal.
