Staff members perform to welcome the arrival of tourists as cruise ship Spirit of Discovery docks at the port of La Goulette in Tunis, Tunisia, March 23, 2022.
Spirit of Discovery is the first cruise ship to have docked in a Tunisian port since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)
TUNIS, March 23 (Xinhua) -- A cruise ship docked in a Tunisian port on Wednesday for the first time since 2019, signaling tourism recovery in the north African country.
The cruise ship Spirit of Discovery docked on Wednesday morning at the port of La Goulette with 724 tourists on board, most of whom are British, Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts Mohamed Moez Belhassen told the media upon the ship's arrival.
About 400 tourists left the ship for excursions to Sousse, Kairouan, the Medina and Sidi Bousaid before leaving the country for Spain at 5 p.m. local time (1600 GMT).
Belhassen stressed the importance of the return of cruises for Tunisia's tourism, as well as other sectors such as transport, crafts and culture.
The minister said that a second cruise is expected in April and 40 others throughout this year. ■
Staff members perform to welcome the arrival of tourists as cruise ship Spirit of Discovery docks at the port of La Goulette in Tunis, Tunisia, March 23, 2022.
Spirit of Discovery is the first cruise ship to have docked in a Tunisian port since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)
