IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Thousands of vacationers evacuated from Tunisia

International tour operators evacuated thousands of vacationers from Tunisia on Friday as the civil unrest that has gripped the North African country for weeks began hurting its critical tourism industry.
/ Source: The Associated Press

International tour operators evacuated thousands of vacationers from Tunisia on Friday as the civil unrest that has gripped the North African country for weeks began hurting its critical tourism industry.

Thomas Cook said it was asking its roughly 3,800 British, Irish, and German customers in Tunisia to leave the country, while some 200 Dutch tourists were repatriated Thursday night via a chartered flight. U.S. and European governments have issued a series of travel alerts warning their citizens away from nonessential travel to Tunisia.

Thomas Cook Group PLC emphasized that its move was precautionary, saying it had not had any problems yet.

There was no across-the-board evacuation.

Some tour groups — like U.K.-based Thomson, owned by TUI Travel PLC — said they were canceling flights to Tunisia but leaving it up to tourists to decide whether to stay or leave. TUI's German subsidiary said it saw no reason to repatriate tourists "against their will," saying the mood among its guests remains calm.

A spokesman for Swiss top division club FC Zurich, which flew to Tunisia for training earlier in the week, said the soccer team had no plans to leave because of the unrest.

Tunisia has been rocked by unrest sparked by anger at unemployment and at a leadership many see as controlling and corrupt, and at least 23 people have died. Opposition groups say the death toll is three times that.

On Friday thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital to demand the resignation of authoritarian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1987.

Continued instability has the potential to damage Tunisia's tourism industry, a pillar of its economy. Millions of visitors flock to the country's Mediterranean beaches, which are particularly prized by Europeans hoping to escape cold, soggy winters.

___

Cassandra Vinograd in London, Juergen Baetz in Berlin, Frank Jordans in Geneva and Toby Sterling in Amsterdam contributed to this report.