A Hapag-Lloyd Cruises vessel became the first to dock in the North African country of Tunisia since a series of terrorist attacks on European tourists.
The 408-berth Europa (built 1999) docked for a one-day stopover at the port of La Goulette, where it was greeted with a military band and local tourism operators eager for the return of visitors, according to The Telegraph.
Tunisia, which is credited with the origins of the Arab Spring in 2011, had seen an uptick in visitors following the overthrow of its long-standing regime.
But the murder of 21 tourists at the country’s Bardo museum last year effectively halted that business. Another attack that left 38 dead saw all the major cruise operators such as Costa Cruise and MSC Cruises to take the country off their itineraries.
Tunisia’s ambassador to the UK had asked the British government to lift travel restrictions that were imposed in the wake of the 2015 attacks.
