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Trust in Tunisia

I was very pleased to read such a positive feature about the return of British tourists to Tunisia (New beginnings, ABTA Magazine, May 2018). We have been delighted by the support that we have received from the UK travel trade throughout and have been working hard to ensure that travel agents have all the tools they need to feel confident about selling holidays to Tunisia.

Many agents have attended our roadshows held throughout the UK and we have also hosted agents in Tunisia so that they can gain first-hand experience of the destination. For us, 2018 is all about rebuilding faith and trust in Tunisia, so this is a positive start.

Wahida Jaiet, Director UK and Ireland, Tunisian National Tourist Office

Overtourism and cruise

The issue of overtourism is justifiably a hot topic of discussion in the travel industry right now (see page 30). While addressing this and finding successful strategies for responsible tourism management is vitally important, so is the avoidance of any knee-jerk reactions to existing tourist travel patterns as communities around the world rely heavily on the regular arrival of tourists into their local areas to make their livelihoods.

Looking specifically at the cruise industry and the impact that the arrival of cruise ships has on small island destinations, it is important to consider passenger arrival figures in the context of the overall tourism picture to include those statistics for visitors arriving by air. It is also crucial to understand the massive contributions that the cruise industry makes to local economies. Passengers spend money ashore on food, drink and activities, while cruise lines pay local landing taxes and use local suppliers.

Giles Hawke, chief executive of Cosmos and Avalon Waterways

Green machine

Slovenia is proud to be paving the way for sustainable travel. Having worked hard over the last few years to create a positive shift in responsible tourism, we’ve been able to observe some gradual changes within the industry – but more needs to be done (Turning the plastic tide, ABTA Magazine, May 2018). In order to encourage tourism providers to be greener, we created the Slovenia Green Scheme, a bronze, silver and gold tier system, which rewards destinations for fulfilling specific credentials. The scheme has received a positive response from the industry and this could be seen at our launch of the first UNbacked World Bee Day in May.

Mladen Ljubisic, UK head of the Slovenian Tourist Board

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