finance
Tunisia’s Djerba Island Sets New Tourism Record Despite Higher Fuel Prices
Reservations at one Djerba hotel have fallen by half amid rising airfares triggered by doubled kerosene prices since the start of 2026. The tourism sector, which contributes 10 percent of Tunisia's GDP and normally employs 400,000 people, had hoped for up to 8 percent growth after a record 1.2 million visitors to Djerba last year.
May 13, 12:30 PM·1m read1 source
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Reservations at the Royal Garden Palace hotel on Tunisia's island of Djerba have fallen by about half this year as the summer tourism season begins in May. Anane Kamoun, director of the Royal Garden Palace hotel, said the drop stems directly from higher travel costs. "When oil prices rise, airfares rise, and that's when tourists start reconsidering the cost," Kamoun said.
The price of kerosene has doubled since the beginning of 2026. Some airline companies have cancelled flights with little profit due to the higher kerosene prices. 2 million tourists visited Djerba.
That figure represented a five-percent rise compared to the year before and was slightly above the previous high set in 2019, said Hichem Mahouachi, the regional representative of Tunisia's national tourism office. Officials had hoped for growth of up to eight percent in Djerba tourism this year. The latest regional developments have clouded those hopes.
The tourism industry accounts for 10 percent of Tunisia's GDP. It normally employs about 400,000 Tunisians. Even so, airlines have scheduled 5,600 flights to Djerba between April and September. 3 percent increase from a year earlier, with connections from 16 mostly European countries, Mahouachi said.
Tunisia is a two-hour flight from most European capitals. "The increase in kerosene prices will not be felt in the same way as for long-haul travel," Mahouachi said. " Al-Monitor reported on the developments in a story published May 13, 2026.
