The idea of writing this ‘things I want list post’’ for the new year came to me when I was thinking about what the year 2013 might have in store and what’s ahead for the international travel industry and in particular in my country. This comes also as an awesome opportunity for me to write in a less formal style about something else than revenue management, hotel marketing, or hospitality distribution.
Well before going any further, let me first wish you a happy new year! Happy New Year and Best Wishes for you and all your family.
Tunisia’s 2013 Presidential Election
Although I don’t usually like odd numbers but I am kind of positive about 2013. This sort of optimism is due to the fact that I always believe that everything must come to an end; the current difficult economic and political situation that my country is experiencing will come to an end sooner or later I guess. On the other hand, I am not so crazy about what is going to happen in terms of politics – As you might already know there will be a major poll in Tunisia next June – but I predict that the current political situation will ease after the elections, as for now, you can’t really say that the country is ruled by an ‘’actual government’’.
Tunisia’s Social-economic Situation
I find it a bit odd in a way that Americans sometimes complain about their country’s weak economy, I mean…in Tunisia not only we are suffering the consequences of America’s economy slowdown but we are also experiencing an unprecedented political, social and economic restless waves caused by what some people call ‘’the revolution’’ that shook even the wealthiest members of the society. But what really pisses me off is how some foreign Medias are talking about the so called revolution from 2010 downward; the image that some European media channels are trying to convey is utterly different from what’s really happening in Tunisia. I mean, broadcasting a 2 minutes video 5 times a day about 4 girls wearing ‘’niqab’’ in the capital Tunis and saying this is the new Tunisia is completely out of this world approach to news and journalism. I can recall the story of the girl that has been raped in Tunis by police officers, well that story made the news for weeks in France. The thing is, the country has been ruled by dictators for decades, I remember that at a certain point in time people can get fined simply because they are growing bears! Right now people can do whatever they want, they can think whatever they want, and aspire to whatever they want. How can you call it a democracy if you don’t allow people to do those things? I’ve lived in Tunisia long enough to know that 90% of Tunisia’s population does not aspire to grow bears; Tunisians aspire to build a better country and a better economy for generations to come.
Tourism in Tunisia
I’m poised that the upcoming touristic season in Tunisia is going to be good compared to the last season (2011-2012) which was moderate in terms international touristic arrivals, with almost 5 million tourists (source Reuters) coming from Europe, Russian, Algeria and Libya. I am saying all the time to my colleagues that the next year things will be even better because travelers will be more confident to visit Tunisia, they will find out that cities like Djerba, Hammamet, Gammarth, Sousse, Monastir, Mahdia, Nabeul are absolutely safe to visit. Maybe right now it’s the perfect time to visit Tunisia and make some savings because the destiny as a whole is still relatively cheap compared to the prices prior to the revolution and the economic turmoil. Prove me wrong and recall any little tiny accident that any tourist has encountered in Tunisia. I’ve seen some bloggers lately writing stuff about accidents that happened in 2010 but I personally will not believe anything unless it’s coming from Reuters or a major well-knowing news network.
Global Climate Change
I’ve listed this topic at last because I think this is the most important problem that many countries and people face today, besides it concerns all human race not only my country or yours. I’m really worried about climate change and I find it weird that businesses and governments are not taking this issue seriously - some businesses are taking advantage of the matter to do marketing or even worst. Maybe it’s human nature; people only tend to think about immediate concerns, but something has to be done and it has to be done on a big scale so that businesses and governments’ activities polluting the environment will be restricted or even banned.
Again Happy New Year and I’m wishing you a year that is filled with all the fragrance of roses, illuminated with all the lights of the world. Hope this year will be the year when all your dreams come true. Happy New Year 2013.
