14.02.202427.05.2017

Tunisia is among the most popular and frequently visited resorts. However, recently a tense political situation has developed in the state due to the recent terrorist attacks that took place in the country in 2016. This is constantly reported in the media and other official sources. The authorities are trying to resolve the problem.

The situation was quickly brought under control by the government. The fact is that the tourism business for Tunisia is profitable, and the budget here is replenished mainly from vacationers. Russians, in turn, find holidays in Tunisia, as well as in Turkey, comfortable and inexpensive. At the same time, hotels in the country still operate an all-inclusive food system. Many vacationers prefer Tunisia to a number of other countries with developed tourism. These include Egypt.

To travel to Tunisia you need. Increasingly, after visiting a country, many people want. Or simply .

How are things going in the 2019 season? News about the possibility of closing entry into the country appears periodically. At the moment, access to the comfortable resorts of Tunisia remains open for Russians, despite the recent terrorist attacks.

The warm climate of the sunny state and high-quality living conditions organized in hotels and inns do their job. Government authorities were only required to ensure a sufficient level of security for vacationers. Many people today are asking questions: is it worth planning a trip to Tunisia during the holiday season, how safe will it be and how much will it cost?

According to the data presented for tourists, which can be read on the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the situation in Tunisia still remains tense. The police are trying to suppress outbreaks of aggression. In addition, there is no 100% guarantee that terrorist attacks will not be repeated. The demonstrations indicate that Tunisia is unsettled and the difficult social situation remains. However, the 2019 beach season is open for vacationers, and some of the tourists are not deterred by recent events.

Unrest in the cities of the neighboring state, in particular in the city of Ras Jedir, periodically makes itself felt.

There was no official order banning travel to Tunisia. The Russian Foreign Ministry recommends vacationing in protected resort areas of Tunisia, where constant control has been organized and police squads have been deployed. Vacationers are advised to leave hotels as little as possible and not take frequent excursions.

About the ban on entry into Tunisia

The Department of the Situation and Crisis Center of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism has an official website that provides reliable information about the situation in Tunisia. The decree to close entry to the territory of the state was never issued. Tourist vouchers are sold as standard. The organization of departure of vacationers is maintained at the proper level. It is worth noting that, besides Tunisia, a similar situation has developed in a number of other tourist countries. These include India, Thailand and Israel.

The Tunisian authorities have taken all measures to prevent armed conflicts within the country: a video surveillance system has been introduced, armed control at entrances to shopping centers, hotels and other social and public facilities has been strengthened, and the staff of police and security personnel has been increased. At the same time, vacationers are guaranteed the preservation of confidential information while ensuring a sufficient level of security.

Only vacationers themselves can decide whether to visit Tunisia during the 2019 season or not. All truthful information for them is laid out in full. In addition, it is possible to follow the news. The Tunisian authorities have done everything to protect vacationers and not create additional obstacles for them when selling vouchers and organizing tours.

When is the best time to vacation in Tunisia in 2019?

The largest flow of tourists to Tunisia is observed during the beach season from June to September. The most popular resorts in the country are Sousse and Hamammet. They are most suitable for family holidays when you can take children with you. Young people may be interested in active water sports. In addition, club entertainment is organized for them, and cafes and restaurants are open. The service in Tunisian hotels is attractive. High-level service is quite inexpensive, and this is explained by the fact that the tourism business in Tunisia is developed and is still being improved.

During the cold spell from November to April, the flow of tourists usually decreases. However, spa lovers continue to come to the country. For this category of vacationers, vacations are provided at reduced prices. Many foreigners are attracted by the clean sea air and useful time spent in comfortable hotels. Thus, guests visit the country even on New Year’s holidays and Christmas. In this case we are talking about Russians and citizens of European countries: Germany, Great Britain and France.

Tours are the most expensive in the fall during the velvet season. This is facilitated not only by proper organization of recreation, but by a favorable climate, when the heat disappears and the water remains warm for a long time. During this period, you can still sunbathe, and the likelihood of getting burns is completely eliminated.

A visit to the Colosseum in El Jem would not be out of place; many are interested in visiting the remains of the destroyed city of Carthage, which are preserved as a historical monument in the form of ruins. It will be interesting to visit the salt lake Chott el-Jerid, as well as the city of Matmatu, whose buildings are unique architectural structures.

Benefits of leisure time

An independent trip has a number of advantages compared to an organized holiday package:

You can sightsee and visit historical places on your own, without depending on the group and excursion program.
Purchasing discounted air tickets. Planning your trip depending on your vacation schedules.
Longer stay in Tunisia than planned according to the package.
Independent choice of hotel.
Free visit to cafes and restaurants.

Tatiana Solomatina

How dangerous is it to vacation in Abkhazia?

Good afternoon friends! Many tourists are thinking about spending their holidays in Abkhazia. Beautiful nature, empty beaches and close location to Russia, despite the poorly developed tourist infrastructure and unsettled life, make this destination tempting for a summer holiday.

But is it dangerous to vacation in Abkhazia? Judging by the comments on other blog posts, readers are very interested in this question. There are many opponents and there are supporters. But the latest tragedy in Gudauta made even fans of the Republic think about the safety of their holidays. I will also express my opinion.

The sensational murder of our compatriot occurred on July 11, 2017 in Gudauta. The brutal attack by “thugs” on two peacefully vacationing families from Moscow left no one indifferent. I won’t describe the details of the event; for those who don’t know, watch the video.

Now the intensity of indignation is very great. Everyone condemns such a cruel crime. Everyone imagines themselves in the place of an unhappy family and everyone has the same reaction - horror. You wouldn't wish your enemy to be in such a situation. I have the same feelings.

But what I fundamentally disagree with is the calls to completely ignore Abkhazia as a tourist destination.

Let's remove the emotions and think sensibly. I don’t argue, it’s difficult to call Abkhazia a safe resort and it’s far from sedate Europe. But tell me, why don’t we hear such categorical statements after we learn about criminal cases in Thailand? After all, robberies and murders also take place there. However, the tourist flow is not decreasing, and the destination is considered one of the safest.

Why, when a banal robbery, albeit with dire consequences, occurred in Abkhazia, are many so categorical? As far as I am aware of the situation, this is the only case of murder of a tourist in recent years in Abkhazia. And note, this is not a political murder, not a mass execution of our compatriots, as on the beaches of Tunisia. After all, criminal “thugs” are present in any country, including Russia. You can run into robbery anywhere; this is precisely the goal, as far as I know, that the Abkhaz criminals pursued.

I don’t at all urge you to ignore this incident, but I don’t think it’s worth elevating it to a “cult”, making loud statements like: “Only an idiot and a suicide will go on vacation to Abkhazia” or “All Abkhazians are scum.” It seems to me that it is impossible to castigate the entire people, to make the nation fit one standard. Just as it is wrong to put an end to such an attractive vacation spot because of one tragic incident.

Simply, when planning a trip to Abkhazia, you need to take into account the features of a holiday here. You should be careful when visiting non-tourist places in the Republic. It is clear that the likelihood of running into trouble there is much greater than in busy resort villages. It’s just as stupid and dangerous to wander around dark streets drunk at night, bawling “chanson” at the top of your voice.

I foresee indignant exclamations; of course, everyone wants to feel free and relaxed on vacation. I have nothing against it, just not here. For those who are not ready to “look around” and limit themselves in some way, Abkhazia is definitely not suitable.

But there is a category of vacationers who do not need night adventures; they do not plan to visit wild, inaccessible places of the Republic. Many people just want warm weather and swimming in the clear sea on free beaches. So why should they refuse to travel to Abkhazia? Well-known resorts are quite safe there if you behave accordingly. In July, when the tragedy happened, hundreds of thousands of people were vacationing in Abkhazia. I am sure that many returned home safe, sound and happy.

I think that you can go to Abkhazia, just use your head, choose busier places, don’t insult the local population, behave with dignity. Then any troubles and problems are unlikely.

What awaits single tourists?

I cannot say that it is safe to travel to Abkhazia without a male escort. The very first evening visit to a cafe or a walk along the sea can turn into trouble for you. Moreover, how global they will be depends not at all on you.

In the eyes of local men, you a priori look like a woman, to put it mildly, “looking for adventure,” and even a modest appearance combined with the same modest behavior will not make them think differently. No amount of persuasion like “I just went out to get some air or eat” will work on them.

I can foresee the thoughts of some girls from the series “how many such suitors were there on the coast of Sochi, Turkey, Egypt, etc., when they leave, they will get rid of it.” This is not the case, I will now explain why.

Most Abkhaz “machos” are nothing of themselves in life. However, literally everyone considers themselves “cool guys.” The firm belief of young people that everyone around them owes them allows them to be sincerely surprised by your unfavorability.

At first, they will perceive your refusal as a kind of feminine game. Then, realizing the opposite, your firmness will be perceived as an insult and they will move on to active action. At best, everything will end in insults. After which, you will definitely lose the desire to leave the house in the evenings. I won’t write about the worst option, I’ll just say that it will be difficult for you to find protection in Abkhazia. Believe me, these are not empty words.

So imagine what kind of vacation awaits you. Okay, during the day you walk, visit the beach or attractions, it's safe. What to do in the evening? It gets dark there early, if we talk about budget housing, then watching TV shows won’t help either, there simply won’t be a TV in the room. Believe me, after three days you will want to howl at the moon from boredom and loneliness.

Of course there is a chance to meet other tourists and spend time with them. But Abkhazia is not Sochi, there are half-empty beaches, many tourists vacation with families with children, they have slightly different worries and schedules. Some come in large groups, they have their own world and their own interests.

By the way, what I wrote also applies to women who are going on vacation with children. Of course, a happy single mother with numerous offspring is unlikely to attract the attention of Abkhazians, but the common category is a young mother with one child; it is also dangerous to walk in the evenings.

Real example. The room next to ours was rented by a 32-year-old woman with an 11-year-old daughter. She said that the very first evening discouraged her from going out to dinner. After the offer to “show the beauty of Abkhazia tomorrow,” a “sticky” courtship followed. And the feeling of fear that she experienced while returning home through the dark streets after an unpleasant incident in a cafe made her spend her entire vacation cooking dinner in the owner’s kitchen and forget about evening walks. Having our company move in was a gift for her.

Nevertheless, I want to tell you that I would still go to Abkhazia alone, in the absence of other options. I would simply refuse to stay in the private sector or small hotels. I would buy a ticket to one of the sanatoriums or boarding houses on the coast; the main condition when choosing a place would be the presence of its own territory and beach.

In such establishments, three meals a day are always included in the price, so you can visit local cafes occasionally, if desired, if you have company. And in the sanatorium there is a greater chance of finding new acquaintances. Again, the issue of security is not acute there; there are places where the territory is guarded, so you can safely walk in the evenings. Look for ready-made offers through the Onlinetours search engine.

It is also better to go on excursions in organized groups. Single girls should not independently negotiate with local drivers about visiting attractions. Of course, in most cases you will be brought back safe and sound. But there is still a risk of financial deception or the possibility of running into inadequate support.

Poisoning: what are the consequences?

It's time to mention another danger that awaits you on vacation in Abkhazia. Everyone has probably heard about the mysterious ailment that haunts many tourists on the third day after arrival. The word “mysterious” suits this phenomenon perfectly, because this illness comes from nowhere and goes to nowhere, forcing everyone to guess about the reasons for its occurrence.

I have not seen an exact definition of the causes of this disease in any serious medical source. Everywhere there are only assumptions, which in general are not very diverse: eating poor-quality food, sea water that was accidentally swallowed while swimming, the characteristics of local drinking water, poorly washed hands or fruits. Accordingly, we are talking about banal poisoning and microbes.

One good thing is that the unpleasant sensations pass quickly and do not leave any negative health consequences. You just have to cross out one day from your vacation. Of course, there is nothing good about this, but you shouldn’t refuse a trip to Abkhazia based only on this. Firstly, there is a chance that this problem will not arise for you, and secondly, the illness is not so severe as to be considered a serious danger. In any case, that’s what I think, although some tourists will most likely disagree with me.

Rest by car: traffic police and broken glass

Recently, there have been frequent reviews of the “lawlessness” of local inspectors on the roads of Abkhazia. Apparently the situation has changed dramatically compared to last year.

We drove around the Republic by car for almost two weeks. Let me note that we were just skating! That is, they didn’t lie on the beach all day, putting the car in the parking lot. We traveled all over the coast up and down. Inspectors were rarely seen on the roads.

We were stopped only once, and that was on business. I remember the surprised eyes of the traffic cop and the phrase from the series: “Of course, I understand that you are in a hurry, but to violate this way, seeing that I am standing here, is already impudence.” It happened when we just pulled away from the checkpoint at the exit from the National Park. The speed there is 30 km/h, after 200 meters the husband decided that he had simply missed the sign lifting the restrictions, and managed to accelerate to 60 km/h, then the traffic cop showed up. It all ended quite simply and quickly. Realizing that they themselves were to blame and that the inspector was right in everything, they did not argue, they handed him 1000 rubles, took it right away, smiled and wished him a good journey.

We tried to drive everywhere according to the rules; if we exceeded the speed limit, it was by a maximum of 20 km/h. When we did meet traffic police cars on the road, we observed that they only stopped cars with Abkhaz license plates; they tried not to bother tourists again, unless, of course, there were obvious violations of the rules.

When I shared this observation with the owner of our home (a man about 35 years old), he said that stopping locals is more profitable for traffic cops, and for tourists there is an unspoken order from the authorities not to bother. I don’t know how true this is, but I wrote to you about what we encountered on the roads in Abkhazia. What we saw was consistent with the man's words.

Therefore, some of today's reviews are a little surprising to me. Either something has changed in the policy of loyalty to tourists in Abkhazia over the winter, or people are writing who are not used to following traffic rules. Both options can take place, so I ask those who disagree not to bombard me with angry remarks in the comments, it’s better to write how you see the situation. And readers will draw their own conclusions.

I would like to say roughly the same thing about broken glass in cars. Such a problem probably exists, although we have never seen a single precedent. The question arises: why do they break glass? If their goal is theft, then perhaps it’s worth playing it safe and removing everything valuable and “shiny”? Maybe this didn’t happen to us because that’s what we did? And should you do the same? Well, I don’t believe in political motives for such actions. I didn’t notice any hatred towards us among the Abkhazians. Envy - yes, and even then not for everyone, but hatred - no.

My opinion

Is it dangerous to vacation in Abkhazia? As sad as it is, I must admit that holidays in the Republic cannot be called safe. But I wouldn’t say categorically that it’s not worth going to Abkhazia. You can spend your vacation here without any problems. There are many tourists who had a wonderful holiday in 2017, do not regret anything and will definitely return here.

Many will probably think, why such extreme? Isn't it better to go to Sochi or another city on our coast, if there is no opportunity to travel abroad?

The nature of Abkhazia is very beautiful, it is wild, not yet spoiled by civilization. The beaches are huge and empty. I have nothing against the resorts of Sochi or Gelendzhik, but during the season it is simply impossible to find secluded places there. And for me, it’s better to drive another 100 km to Abkhazia than to crowd on the densely populated beaches of the Russian coast.

This is how I thought before I learned about the tragedy in Gudauta. No, my opinion has not changed radically yet. But with all my love for Abkhazia, this incident made even me think about the advisability of such a vacation. What can we say about the long-time opponents of this Republic.

The only thing I can say now to those who are serious about spending a vacation in Abkhazia is to read the information, listen to advice, assess the situation, choose accommodation in busy resorts. These simple precautions will definitely not be superfluous today.

To give you a complete picture of Abkhazia, I recommend reading other blog articles in this area:

Pay attention to the “Readers' Journey” section. How to publish a review there, read.
Leave comments, share the article on social networks, subscribe to blog updates, active readers are always welcome.

With this I say goodbye, see you again!
Tatiana Solomatina

Safety on excursions

Those who like to explore foreign countries on their own should remember that traveling around Egypt alone (not as part of an excursion group) is dangerous. It is also highly undesirable to go on excursions organized by local residents - there is a high probability of running into serious trouble. Book tours and excursions through Russian tour operators.

Before booking a tour to Egypt, contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find out whether the area you plan to travel to is currently safe. If you become aware that the political situation in the country is currently unstable, postpone your trip for a while. Even if the tour has already been purchased, tour operators in most cases meet halfway and reschedule the departure date and change the program of excursions around the country, trying to make your vacation as relaxing as possible.

Sanitary condition

Another danger that awaits tourists who are planning to travel to Egypt is unsanitary conditions. Doctors warn that you should not drink tap water here! Drink only bottled water and eat only in restaurants that cater to tourists. In terms of nutrition, it is generally better to follow the guide’s recommendations.

Stay away from river water. Moreover, the Nile is very polluted, and if you know about it, you are unlikely to want to swim in it. For swimming, choose either the waters of the Mediterranean or Red Sea, or specially equipped pools. It is also worth saying that the quality of medical care in Egypt leaves much to be desired, so you will have to take care of your safety in advance. Before booking a tour and going to Egypt, take out medical insurance and carefully read each of its points.

Be sure to visit your doctor ahead of time and get vaccinated if necessary. This is always necessary before traveling to tropical and subtropical countries.

The treacherous sun

If you are going to the desert, beware of dehydration - it is extremely dangerous for the body. Therefore, stock up on enough drinking water. In addition, in Egypt's hot climate it is very easy to get sunburn, which can completely ruin your holiday. Treat your skin frequently, thoroughly, and liberally with a strong sunscreen that you should always have on hand.

In the desert, sand can be a problem, especially if you are going on vacation in the spring when desert winds blow here. Scarves and special glasses will help protect you from sand.

Dangerous fauna

Dangerous animals in Egypt can also pose a problem on holiday. First of all, these are mosquitoes and other insects that can be carriers of dangerous diseases (for example, malaria). Be sure to take repellent with you on vacation.

No less dangerous than insects is the underwater fauna. Despite their external beauty, many of the inhabitants of the Red Sea can harbor a deadly threat. We are talking here not only about sharks, of which there are not so many off the coast of Egypt. Much more dangerous are sea urchins, moray eels, stingrays, jellyfish, cones, sea snakes and some types of fish. Many of them can cause harm not only during diving, but also when walking along the water's edge or while swimming. Special rubber shoes and extreme caution will help avoid these problems.

Of course, diving in the waters of the Red Sea is one of the favorite entertainments for tourists. But divers should be very careful when diving near coral reefs - this is where most of the dangerous creatures live.

Petty hooliganism

Petty theft is not common in Egypt. If your tour includes many excursions, then you will spend most of your vacation near huge deserted buildings, where, in principle, there are few people. But even in crowded places it is relatively safe. Avoid only political demonstrations, which at any moment can develop into riots.

In Egypt, of course, it is dangerous, but no more than, for example, in Turkey. And all the listed dangers certainly cannot be a reason not to go on vacation to the Red Sea coast. Follow the tips given above, and no troubles will happen to you, and the trip will bring only positive emotions.