Tozeur-Nefta International Airport received on Monday afternoon the first flight from Paris, under the Tozeur-Paris service, which will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. The first flight to Tozeur carried 167 passengers, mainly of Tunisian and French nationality, while the outbound flight carried 84 Tunisian passengers of French nationality. The arrival of the first flight from Paris was attended by regional authorities and representatives of public institutions, including the Civil Aviation Authority, airports and the Tunisian National Tourist Office, as well as the French ambassador to Tunisia. The air service is of great importance as it breaks the isolation of the region from European airports, especially during the winter tourist season, and also ensures the return of Tunisians living abroad to the south-west, said the governor of Tozeur, Mohamed Aymen Bejaoui. In particular, it increases the flow of foreign tourists in light of the positive indicators known by the tourist destination with the arrival of about 197,000 from the beginning of the year until October 20, an increase of more than 29 percent. According to the governor, the launch of this route has been a great success, especially in terms of the number of bookings it has received, which is important for the coming period and will therefore provide a boost to the tourism sector, as well as generating investment and development in the south-western states. The success of the first phase of the line, from October to the end of March, could be an incentive for the possibility of extending it, according to the regional official. This is in addition to the possible operation of other flights in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts and the Ministry of Transport, he added.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse