Tunisia’s economy: Tourism slumps as PM seeks to calm protests

Political protests in Tunisia are disrupting the hospitality industry, the latest in a series of blows to tourism in the country.

The Tunisian government is hoping a boost in aid to poorer families will help contain growing discontent over new austerity measures.

It has pledged an extra $70m after protests swept across the country.

Al Jazeera met Iskandar Zribi, an owner of an ecofriendly hotel in Zaghouan – a town south of the capital, Tunis.

Business was booming before the 2011 revolution, Zaghouane was packed with tourists. But, in 2015, a gunman killed 38 tourists in the resort town of Sousse, creating a business crisis for hotel owners like Zribi, who saw his revenues decline by 90 percent.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reports from Zaghouan, Tunisia.