AIBU to wonder why holidays to Tunisia are so much cheaper?

[DallazMajor]

To wonder why holidays to Tunisia are substantially cheaper than other places.

I was thinking of booking but when I’ve mentioned it to people they have said they wouldn’t go.

Am I missing something ?

Is it cheaper because it’s considered unsafe or something.

I went to Djerba. Pretty place with nice food. I covered up every time I went out but there are lots of French tourists so lots of bare female heads, legs, shoulders and cleavage. It didn't appear to be a problem. I wasn't expecting to like Tunisia but the people were lovely and I felt a little pang leaving.

DH and I went around 12/13 years ago, i think only a few weeks before the attack on the beach. Stayed in a 3/4* hotel, did the 2 day trip to stars wars sites etc. It was fine when in the hotels and on the trip, but when venturing out into the town near the hotel we got hassled and I got touched inappropriately

What is the treatment of their horses,donkeys and camels ?

I found Egypt to be horrendous and I;d never go back .

Went and loved it (couple of years before the terrorist attack). Got far more hassle off men in Egypt. Would happily go again!

I am there now! I arrived today on a solo break for the week. I work 7 days, am a single mum (of older teens), and just wanted a few days to myself on the beach.
My first thought on shuttling to my hotel was that they should do away with the blue plastic bags they give away at supermarkets. I assume that’s what they are. They are EVERYWHERE. Not lying around the street but caught up in trees and things. Lots of flytipping, rubble, etc. I know that very few places actually create a good impression en route from the airport, but still …
We passed stray dogs on the beach. What an existence in this heat 😢
And the heat!! I knew it would be hot but I’ve never experienced anything like this. I had thought about doing trips but I’m honestly not sure I could.
I’ve been catching up on sleep today so haven’t done anything so far, but my hotel does seem really lovely. And my sea view is to die for! It came as standard, whereas in many other places you’d pay a lot more. I don’t know what my TripAdvisor review will say at this stage.

I haven’t been, but my friend has recently been - on a girls trip for a 40th - and they were absolutely fine.

So far I’ve seen far fewer animals than in Morocco.

Couldn't pay me to go back to Sousse

Because it’s like Egypt. But Egypt is starting to attract the big luxury brand hotels now to challenge Turkey like Rixos etc

I went about 20 years ago so things may have changed.

Loved loved loved all the historic sites.

Years of rubbish and litter piling up everywhere.

Hated the men. non stop groping even though I was appropriately covered up at all times. At one point I was surrounded by 3 sticking their hands up my top. I stopped to buy something at a shop and the shopkeeper took a firm grasp on my arse. I did not feel safe leaving the hotel after dark and I'm not easily scared. Most (not all, there were a couple of exceptions who were nice to me in a normal way) of the men seemed to really despise western women. I had an ice-cream in a little bowl in a cafe - got to the bottom to find a few pubes delightfully added there for me. I ventured to the beach once and immediately turned tail due to the row of leering men lined up at the edge.

My friend and his wife went recently and was locked inside a shop with another couple and their kids and told they had to buy things to leave (they did not and forced their way back out)

Tried a local pub and the bar owner next door got into a fight as they both wanted their custom.

Followed by young children selling shells and bracelets on the beach relentlessly.

They said they ended up just staying in the hotel for most of the time but would have liked to explore / shop / eat out, but it just wasn't worth the stress.

Sounded awful tbh

Because it's a shithole with awful men
HTH

My nephew and his girlfriend went the week before the terrorist attack happened and they stayed at the same hotel. They said it was awful and couldn’t wait to come home.

I wouldn’t go. I’d sooner sit at home in the rain tbh.

I’m 55 and my parents took me and my sister there when I was 20 mths old. Obviously I can’t remember but they still go on about how much of a dump it was, I know it’s probably changed, but obviously the first impression has lasted with them.

For a Muslim country it’s not friendly for women in Hijab. A few Muslims tourists have reported being denied entry to beaches for covering up.

Tunisia is a Muslim country as are many other tourist type places like Egypt and so on. I avoid any country where the women are relegated to cleaning the toilets and the men are out front hassling tourists into restaurants and carpet shops etc. and hassling women overall.

I include Turkey in that too. Mostly because of Erdogan's regime, even though the country is nominally secular, but the same male behaviour towards female tourists happens there too.

Europe all the way for me. It isn't perfect but I feel more comfortable as a woman there.

Murdering innocent tourists on the beach in the name of religion tends to have that effect.

Ive been to Tunisia many times and it’s a country I love. I wouldn’t choose to stay in one of the big resorts, but if you go to the less touristy resorts, it’s lovely. I particularly love the Kerkennah Islands and Zarzis. Of course there’s harassment when you’re walking around resorts like Sousse but in all the times Ive been to Tunisia Ive never felt remotely threatened and it’s far less intense than places like Luxor in Egypt. I’ve walked around on my own late at night and feel far safer than I do walking round London after dark. The terrorist attack a few years back was terrible but incidents like tjst are extremely rare - far rarer than attacks in the UK over the years. I would rate Tunisia as one of the safest countries Ive been to, and say that as a reasonably attractive woman with long blonde hair who has travelled with a teenage daughter several times. I’ve seen the way some people speak to local people and the way some female tourists dress when they are walking around outside their hotels, and it’s important to remember that Tunisia is a Muslim country and visitors should be respectful of the culture.

Tunisian people are warm and welcoming when you take the time to get to know them and Weve been welcomed into many homes over the years. Tunisian food is wonderful and I think it’s very under rated. There are some amazing historical sites, but I think it’s worth making your own way to most of them rather than being rushed in and out in half an hour on a coach tour. We’ve hired a car on several occasions - the roads are generally good and the standard of driving isn’t too bad. Having a car gives you the freedom to try some of the gorgeous boutique hotels that are scattered around the country. Tunisian trains are also really good.

if you like excellent beaches and almost guaranteed perfect weather, you can’t really get better value.

We were going to go last year. Dd’s friend went and the family was scammed in an actual bank. They enjoyed the holiday otherwise but dodnt leave the resort. We dont want a holiday where you have to stay in the hotel grounds. So we went to agadir, morocco instead and loved it. and it wasnt much more expensive.

I am a lover of ancient history so was excited to go to Carthage but there’s almost nothing there. Definitely not worth a special trip to Tunisia

@DallazMajor it was the worst holiday we’ve had - food at the hotel was crap, hassle everywhere, everything outside the hotel was really dirty. It felt really 3rd world

Dd19 and I went two years ago. I got harassed in the hotel by some vile men who, I think worked there as maintenance crew. I was all ready to kick arse but dd begged me not to make a scene. I didn’t say anything but it opened up a great opportunity for us to discuss misogyny and what should,and shouldn’t be acceptable.
we only left the hotel twice. We didn’t get harassed but the area was really manky and not nice to walk around. Outside of every cafe there were large groups of men all day, every day. We left at 5.30am and they were all there. already.
The weather was great and the hotel clean. Loads of stray cats and kittens in the hotel grounds but we didn’t mind that and fed them daily.

probably wouldn’t go back but it was ok.

The worst holiday I’ve ever had was in Tunisia. The beach was full of Russians who decided to stub out their cigarettes into the sand, so you couldn’t even build sandcastles without the bucket looking like an ash tray. Our AI was 4* and what we ate at breakfast, if it wasn’t used up, it reappeared for lunch and dinner. The beach toilets were foul with broken sinks and taps, dirty and just grimy.
We went on a tour and there were loads of these souvenir sellers peddling tat. One called me a bitch because I said ‘no thank you!’ A swift ‘fuck off!’ was retorted back to the old fella.
I’m ex cabin crew so have travelled extensively and I’d never go back there again. It can stay in its lane.
Book elsewhere!

We did that too! Salt flats, star wars set.

I came back to the hotel with the worst gastro event I've had in my life. It was 27yrs ago and I still remember the pains in my stomach and the view of the bathroom door as it's all I looked at for two days 😭

Went over 30 years ago with my mum and sister. Because it was cheap. Single mum with two blonde teen daughters. We got a fair amount of hassle in the souk but also saw some amazing historical sites as well as the Star Wars locations. The food was good, my mother became somewhat obsessed with couscous and Tunisian rice pudding
I remember being quite shocked at the level poverty in the towns that weren't in the touristy areas.

The massacre in Sousse wasn't even the only terrorist attack in Tunisia in 2015. There was another attack at the Bardo Museum with 22 tourists killed after being taken hostage. Dozens more injured.

There's armed patrols on beaches in more tourist areas which isn't really the most relaxing thing . And as a Jewish family we just wouldn't feel safe there as there's a long history of anti Semitic terrorist acts and targeting of Jews. That's not going to apply to most people who no longer want to visit but it is a definite factor for us. There's also huge issues with anti-Black racism which will also deter some British and French tourists. And it won't attract gay and lesbian tourists due to it being illegal.

It's such a historically rich country but the poverty and the power of Islamists terrorist groups has made it very unfriendly to much of the world which has in turn damaged its economy

Would never go. Has no appeal to me
Neither does Egypt or Morocco.

We went just before the beach shooting (same area). We had a great time, I hired a car and we did a day road trip to see a few sites within a couple of hours' drive. I'd previously worked/ driven in non-touristy Middle Eastern counties though so wasn't fazed. My partner got more hassle than I did with his wide eyed tourist wandering while I kept walking 🤣. If youre not used to it you will get a lot of "attention" which can be scary. If you want a hotel holiday there are much closer, safer places to go!