Tunisia Tourism: Is It Safe For Uk Holidaymakers?

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43030864

The first fights depart today. I had a wonderful holiday in Tunisia a few years ago. But is it now safe to return ?

[emmie]

personally i don't think so, the news says that they have upped their security and that people ought to be safe, i know they rely heavily on tourism, but i still wouldn't go to be honest.

[dannyk13]

Info here Mikey:-
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/tunisia

[naomi24]

Probably - generally at least. In the current climate it can happen anywhere. That said, I know Tunisia fairly well – and it wouldn’t be my choice for a holiday.

[Deskdiary]

Simon Calder has said it's safe - and on this morning's BBC News said he'd happily take his family.

I put a lot of stock into what Simon Calder says, so if he hays it's safe, then that's good enough for me - that is if I was interested in going to North Africa. Having has the Worst Holiday Ever in Egypt a few years ago, safe or not I wouldn't holiday in North Africa again if the holiday was free).

[youngmafbog]

Personally I have my doubts.

Just cant see how it is possible to make it safe, but then is London safe?

[mikey4444]

I am not if anywhere can be described as 100% safe.

I would like to return to Tunisia, but I'm not sure if it would be a good idea.

I recall seeing British people being interviewed after the 2015 event, and some of them were very unhappy about having to return home, despite 30 Brit tourist having been murdered a couple of days before.

Such a pity, as the country is wonderful, the people are very welcoming, and the Roman ruins almost unbeatable.

[ChillDoubt]

My personal edict is:
I’ve never holidayed in a Muslim country....that will not change until the day I die.
All it takes is one sympathetic guard in a hotel/compound and it’s a slaughterhouse.

Besides, bright orange clothes don’t suit me....

[ChillDoubt]

I recall seeing British people being interviewed after the 2015 event, and some of them were very unhappy about having to return home
—————
REALLY??? I recall quite the opposite!

[murraymints]

I wouldn't

[mikey4444]

There was one man that was interviewed that said he felt perfectly safe....he said that as the beach he was lying on was covered by armed guards and police.

[jno]

I also recall some tourists saying at the time that the FCO was overreacting. The feeling was that tourism was concentrated in a few areas that ought to be reasonably simple to police (though as others have said, nowhere can ever be 100% safe).

[Prudie]

If the travel advice says it's OK and UK flights are returning then the risk must have been assessed and it's now deemed acceptably safe to return. Mud sticks of course and if , God forbid, tourists were shot on a beach in Greece say then people would stop going there for ages too.
Personally I wouldn't want to go to Tunisia but I'm a worrier.

[dannyk13]

MIkey, according to my link some parts of Tunisia are definite no go areas.

[mikey4444]

While I enjoyed my trip there a few years ago, I am not sure I would want to go to a place where I had to be surrounded by armed Police, just to be able to sit on the beach. It doesn't sound very relaxing to me, especially where there are plenty of other places to holiday in where there isn't the same threat.

[jno]

I'm not sure that many tourists go to the really unsafe areas anyway. Alas Tataouine is also on the dodgy area list, a blow to Star Wars fans.

[EDDIE51]

Look at a map. Tunisia is a small nation with long & uncontrolled land borders to Algeria to the West and Libya to the East.
Libya is home to large number of Warlords who each control their own section of land, what government there is is ineffective and has no control over the Warlords. Algeria is very little better.
It would not be my choice for a holiday.

[mikey4444]

Dayy...when I was there, we went on a four-wheel drive safari for a day and a half into the mountains and I am pretty sure that it was through the areas that are still at risk.

We definitely went across a huge salt lake and stayed the night at an oasis. And we went to the area that was used to film Star Wars.

Wonderful scenery.

[EDDIE51]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@33.9463754,5.068609,4z
Look at the map to see how small Tunisia is and how long the uncontrolled borders are.

[Jackdaw33]

As usual, TTT has it spot on.