Day: October 4, 2017

Record harvest of Tunisian dates for 2017-2018

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The 2017/2018 season will register a new record for date sub-sector in Tunisia. Fruit production is expected to reach 305.251 tonnes i.e. a 26.3% jump compared to 2016/2017, according to Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fishery Samir Taieb. This exceptional harvest will allow the country to improve its status in the top 20 of the world’s fruit suppliers, dominated by Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Besides, the Minister said that many actions will have to be taken in the export segment to secure the…

UAHT’s motto better days are ahead for needy people

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Since the 2011 revolution, civil society associations in Tunisia are believed to have the capacity to build a social capital and social trust. But there is a tremendous gap between legislation and practice. However, Tunisian activists are faced with significant legitimate demands of a marginalised and daunted population, especially in the regions of the western part of the country. Suffering from alienation and exclusion, they still claim their economic, social and political rights. The Union of Tunisian Humanitarian Associations (UAHT) is a young association which endeavoured to lend a hand to this…

Tourists trickle back to Tunisia after 2015 militant attacks

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Dozens of tourists pack beach chairs at a Tunisian luxury hotel, where everything from the swimming pool to the wall paint, the furniture at the shiny reception hall, the police post at its gate and even its name is new. Nothing reminds holiday-makers of the day in June 2015 when an Islamic State militant shot dead 39 foreigners in this beach resort, triggering an exodus of tourists from the country and severely damaging its economy. Now some of those tourist are coming back, thanks to a massive security presence and…

Terror risks make tight security routine for world’s hotels

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In many parts of the world, the constant fear of extremist attacks has led to tighter security measures at hotels and resorts, but that is less so in the United States, where hotels are reluctant to intrude on the privacy of guests. Security experts say the shooting attack that left at least 59 people dead in Las Vegas could lead to more cameras and more training for hotel staff. More aggressive measures such as metal detectors or X-ray screening of guests and luggage — standard for airline travel — are…

Swiss justice minister renews Tunisian cooperation deal

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Concluding a two-day visit to Tunisia, Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga officially extended on Tuesday a cooperation agreement with the North African state and saluted progress made on migration. The cooperation strategy, launched in 2012 following the Arab spring upheavals, will run until 2020 and includes Swiss support to the tune of over CHF100 million ($103 million), a similar figure to that which has been spent to now. The strategy is implemented by several political agencies in Switzerland, including the foreign ministry, State Secretariat for Migration, and State Secretariat for…

Why Thomas Cook is moving into hotel ownership

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Thomas Cook has announced plans to follow fellow tour operator TUI Group into hotel ownership, creating a joint hotel investment platform with Swiss investment group LMEY.  The pair agreed to contribute at least five hotels with a value of £150 million, with Thomas Cook’s CEO describing developing own-brand sites as “absolutely key to our success.” The seed assets will be used to develop the platform into a fund focused on acquiring a pipeline of further hotel and resort assets across Thomas Cook’s destination markets. As part of the agreement with LMEY, Thomas Cook has acquired…