Tunisia expects to lose $515 million of annual tourism earnings after attacks

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last updated 30 June 2015

Friday's attack on a beach hotel in Tunisia is expected to spell big losses for the country's lucrative tourism sector. Tunisia anticipates that it will lose as much as a quarter of its yearly tourism earnings, which is at least $515 million, Reuters reports. The shooting in the popular tourist destination of Sousse left 39 people dead, most of them British tourists.

In Tunisia, the tourism sector accounts for about 7 percent of its gross domestic product. Last year, the country earned $1.95 billion in revenue from it. Now, the country is looking at ways to keep the industry afloat. Tunisian Tourism Minister Salma Loumi told reporters Monday that the government will likely offer debt relief for hotel owners and will no longer charge a visitor's tax. Friday's attack in Tunisia came just months after an attack at the Bardo museum in Tunis killed 21 people.