Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Should we cancel our holiday in Hammamet because of Tunisian warnings?

 

Simon Calder
Monday 10 June 2013 10:39 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Q. Me and my boyfriend are travelling to Hammamet for 11 nights later this month. I have seen reports warning against travelling to Tunisia. What is the unrest over there at the moment? Shall we cancel our holiday?

Polly Buller, Kettering

A. Don't cancel - fly out as planned, and you can expect to have an excellent holiday in a friendly and fascinating nation. Tunisia was the birthplace of the so-called "Arab Spring". But since the movement to overthrow the dictatorship began in the capital two-and-a-half years ago, all the tourist areas have remained safe. And compared with neighbouring Libya, the process of liberation has been remarkably calm.

There have been protests recently, with some violent incidents - but nothing in the vicinity of Hammamet, or in other resorts along the coast, Tunis or tourist attractions elsewhere.

The Foreign Office is warning against all-but-essential travel to one tiny corner of Tunisia - the Chaambi Mountain National Park area, close to the Algerian border. It is many miles from Hammamet. You can see the official advice here: bit.ly/TunisFCO.

Everywhere else, life is proceeding normally - with prices low and crowds thin, this is an excellent time to visit Tunisia.

Click HERE to email Simon.

You can also tweet him your questions @SimonCalder

Follow @_SimonCalder

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in