Tunisians look to Europe as Covid hits tourism

The seafront along the town of Hammamet in Tunisia is deserted. Looking out at the bright empty coast from his souvenir shop, Kais Azzabi, 42, describes the crowds that would stroll along the boulevards. Today, there is nobody. “It was very busy here,” he says, gesturing to the street and the Mediterranean Sea beyond. “Since the coronavirus started, everything stopped.”

Blasted by revolution, terror attacks and political instability, the pandemic has all but delivered a death blow to Tunisia’s have done little to instil confidence in hotel workers. A presidential power grab in July, which suspended parliament, ousted the prime minister, and put former constitutional law professor and political independent Kais Saied into office, has yet to deliver a new long-term vision for the country.