Tourism is once again an important pillar of the Tunisian economy, contributing to the state revenue by 3,352 billion dinars (almost 1 bln euros) in the first half of 2026, which is up by 8.3 percent from the same period last year.
According to the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT), the increase compared to the same period last year accounted for 255,6 billion dinars (76 million euros). The Bank emphasizes that tourism is one of the most important sectors for the current economic recovery.
The number of tourists in spring was higher than in the same period last year, with a particularly notable inflow of European visitors. Moreover, the traditional tourist seasons are returning, which also has a positive impact on the tourism revenue.
Tourism: Tunisia’s Second-Largest Source of Foreign Currency
Tourism is the second-highest source of foreign currency for Tunisia after remittances from Tunisians living abroad.
The two together accounted for 7,758 billion dinars (2,31 billion euros) in the first half of 2026. Tourism revenue alone came to 3,352 billion dinars (994 million euros), up 8.3 percent from 3,096 billion dinars in January-June 2025.
Remittances from Tunisians reached 4,405 billion dinars (1,31 billion euros) in the first half of 2026, up 210 billion dinars from the same period last year.
Tourism and remittances together have a huge impact on the balance of payments as they are used to finance imports and pay off external debt.
One of the statistics that best characterize the current situation is linked to the coverage of external payments with revenues from tourism. According to the BCT, as of June 30, 2026, the amount of money required for debt servicing (covering interest payments and repayments of matured debt) amounted to 4,233 billion dinars.
Of this, tourism revenue alone has covered 89.3 percent – nearly 994 billion dinars. At the same time, with the addition of remittances, coverage of external payments reached 183 percent.
It is important to note that despite the high coverage, it does not mean that Tunisia’s external debt has been reduced by 80 percent or more. In fact, the 4,233 billion dinars (1,24 billion euros) of debt servicing refers only to obligations for covering interest and repayment of matured liabilities.
The debt stocks themselves, which are obligations to pay off principal, are several times higher. However, the reduction of this indicator is ensured by the increase in exports and, in particular, tourism revenues.
Reserves and Monetary Policy
The value of the foreign exchange reserves, which were used to pay off external debt, showed a slight decrease as of July 3, 2026. Thus, the net foreign assets of the Central Bank (the main part of the foreign exchange reserves) amounted to 24,54 billion dinars. This is 97 days’ worth of imports, compared to 100 days’ worth as of July 3, 2025.
Economists do not see immediate risks to the stability of the currency and the economy as a whole, and at the moment, the most important task is to ensure stable revenues in hard currency.
In addition, the Central Bank continues to provide an easing of monetary policy. Thus, the total amount of financing to the banking system has decreased by more than 4 billion dinars to 10,54 billion dinars as of July 3. The key interest rate also remains at 6,99 percent.
Despite the positive trends, economists note that for now, the most pressing issue for the authorities remains the need to improve public finances and the current account, as well as reduce the dependence of the country on external financing. The improvement of these areas will also be ensured by the growth of the tourism revenue and the support of the inflow of remittances from Tunisians. With the arrival of the peak season and the prospect of further growth of revenues, the tourism sector will continue to be key to the economic growth and development of Tunisia.
