The foreign exchange earnings of the  Tunisia's tourist trade sector recorded a slight rise of 2,1% to rest at 3 460,3 million dinars last year. But in euros, they show a decline of 1,9% to stand at 1 842 million Euros.

In-fact, there’s an encouraging indication concerning earnings by bed which between 2007 and 2009 increased by 12,4% to stand at 57 million Euros.  This may be an indication of reducing capacity as the oversupplied market gradually improves.

Tunisia’s tourist trade sector has witnessed  like other main tourist destinations worldwide the effects of the international economic and financial crisis while keeping its full capacity for recovery in 2010 whilst placing 150 hotels on an upgrade program (31% of the overall host capacity).

Tourists' arrivals dropped by 2,1% in 2009 standing at 6 901 406 tourists compared with over 7 million in 2008. European tourists' arrivals - 3 743 509 in number- dropped by 8,8%. This phenomenon has affected the main European tourist providing countries except for the British (+8,1%). The drop has concerned Spanish tourists (-13,9%), Italian tourists (-13,7%), German tourists (-7,2%) and the French (-3,6%) .

On the other hand, Maghreb tourists who came for holiday in Tunisia numbered 2 999 100, which means a rise of 7,9%, due mainly to a 12,9% increase in Libyan tourists' arrivals (1 995 236 ). Arrivals of Moroccan tourists recorded a slight decline of -9,2% and Algerian tourists as well (-0,7%).