We have a good friend from Tunisia who is visiting the U.S. as a graduate student/teaching assistant. We have seriously considered visiting the country--and her family, by invitation--but it's become a little worrisome since the Jasmine Revolution. Has anyone traveled to Tunisia since the change in government? It's hard to get reliable information about Tunisia these days. Our friend is not as convincing now about the advisability of visiting her country as she was before the ouster of Ben Ali. Not sure she really knows the whole story on travel security within her own country although she is there now on holiday break so we will talk again when she gets back. We're definitely interested in going someday but not sure this summer would be the best time. Any thoughts, based on personal experience?
Is Tunisia safe for travelers?
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No one seems to be responding have been there in the past not recently.Thereis a travel alert currently things are in a state of flux there and even worse in surrounding countries.
Prudence in elective travel at this juncture would seem wise
for me.
Tunisia
October 05, 2011
The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to the potential for unrest in Tunisia. Spontaneous and unpredictable events, such as work stoppages and demonstrations still occur, a state of emergency remains in force, and curfews can be re-established on short notice. The U.S. Department of State continues to advise U.S. citizens currently in Tunisia to remain alert to local security developments and to be vigilant regarding their personal security. Travelers contemplating trips to the interior of the country should assess local conditions and routes when making travel plans, as conditions can quickly change. This Travel Alert supersedes the Travel Alert for Tunisia dated July 8, 2011, to update information on the security situation, upcoming general elections and travel within Tunisia, and expires on January 12, 2012.
travel.state.gov
Thank you!
We spent a month in Tunisia in March/April and can reassure anyone planning to visit that we found it very safe. There is a sense of optimism among the Tunisians who are determined the revolution should make things better for everyone. There still a little unrest in Kasserine from workers wanting better working conditions and pay. There is a very efficient grape vine among police and local drivers about the current situation and it is easy to by pass this area.
There is a high presence of police on roads who stop cars and check driver's paperwork. All is very good natured.
In tourist areas like Tunis and Kairouan Medinas (and no doubt Sousse and Hammanet but we didn't get there) there is always a certain amount of hassel from stall keepers to buy. We soon learnt to say 'non' and move on. Prices in the tourist areas are high so there is a need to haggle. On the rare occasions we did it was always good natured.
There are also touts out inviting you to go and look at carpet. In Tunis it is the 'last day of a carpet exhibition'. They also seem to have a panoramic view. We got 'caught' by this and were shown lots of carpets but once we made it very clear we were not interested and did not want o buy a carpet we were bundled out of the shop in double quick time. We found that if we smiled and said we'd already done the carpet exhibition we didn't have any problems.
The Tunisians are delighted to see the tourists back as they are very dependent on tourism. One great thing about going now is that tourists are slow to return and places are still quiet.