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Summary Tunisia's new tourism minister has said that tourism revenues and visits in Tunisia have plunged by 40 percent in January during the popular uprising that brought down the country's iron-fisted president.
Tourism minister Mehdi Haouas said the North African country known for its wide beaches and ancient ruins now has a new lure for holidaymakers: they can hang out with Arab-world revolutionaries.The revolution that this country just went through offers new opportunities insofar as it has shown off an extraordinary people to the world, said Haouas, who took his post in a government reshuffle last week.Despite his optimism for the long-term, Haouas cautioned that Tunisias tourism could be facing a further decline in February, a blow to the industry that makes up more than six percent of the countrys total economic output and employs some 400,000 people — or four percent of the population.
