No camel rides in Tunisian town as COVID slowly kills tourism

Two Bulgarian visitors stood in the ancient El Jem amphitheatre, one of Tunisia's top attractions, alone apart from swallows flitting under stone arches - a sight foretelling another tourist season wrecked by COVID-19.   

The 3rd century structure, so symbolic of Tunisia that it features on the 20-dinar note, usually receives about 190,000 visitors a year, but in 2020 only 45,000 came, and so far this year it has been deserted most of the time.   

Over the past two weeks numbers have picked up a little after the government relaxed quarantine rules for package tours to salvage some foreign revenue from the summer high season, but they are still nowhere near where they were pre-pandemic.   

"There are no tourists and the beach is empty. It is very sad," said Tatiana Vasileva, one of the two Bulgarians. She had arrived in Tunisia two days earlier and joined a tour to El Jem arranged by her hotel.   

In the plaza outside the amphitheatre, tourism businesses are slowly dying, as they are across the country, putting lives on hold and driving people into other walks of life.   

Aroussi Obay, 42, has invested savings into olive oil production to raise money while his antique shop idles. His neighbour Nofal Zeid, 43, has delayed his wedding for lack of income from his El Hana cafe.   

"I have postponed all my projects, even my marriage," said Zeid, who has laid off the few family members he usually employs in the summer season.   

But though days pass without a customer, he has laid each of the seven tables facing the amphitheatre with a bright red cloth and a bowl of oranges, ready for business.     

Tunisia, which is dependent on foreign help to obtain COVID-19 vaccines, is struggling with low stocks.    

It...