| answer text |
<p>The Sousse terrorist attack has had a significant impact on tourist numbers in
Tunisia: at the time of the attack there were an estimated 20,000 British tourists
in Tunisia. This had dropped to around 2,000 before the Government changed its travel
advice. Our travel advice has highlighted for some time the high threat from terrorism
in Tunisia. Because of developments in the threat and intelligence picture since the
attack, coupled with our assessment of the vulnerability of tourist sites, we took
the decision to change our travel advice in order to ensure the safety of British
nationals <br><br>Tourism usually accounts for around 15 per cent of Tunisia’s Gross
Domestic Product. We and international partners are working with Tunisia to identify
how we can best support their economy, including by increasing our bilateral and multilateral
support. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon.
Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and EU Foreign Ministers
discussed economic support for Tunisia, including a significant increase in olive
oil export quotas, at Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council. We also continue to encourage
Tunisia to set out its plans for its economic development.</p>
|
|
