El Mouradi Hotels Changed The Terms Of Co-operation With Russian Partners

[IMG=19350-5037]

   Before the summer season the Tunisian hotel chain El Mouradi – a franchising hotel of Sol Melia corporation – announced fixed blocks to be the main condition for co-operation with Russian partners, said El Mouradi Commercial Director, Mohamed Hichem Allouche, in the interview to a BANKO correspondent. According to him, this system will allow to reduce risks: ‘after that what happened to Premiere and other companies we decided that commitments are an ideal variant for co-operation. It is also better for our partners in Russia as they will have guaranteed quotas for peak dates’, said Mr. Allouche.
    Meanwhile, travel market players which specialize in the Tunisian market do not express enthusiasm towards the initiative of El Mouradi because a tourist flow to the country is not enough to buy large blocks. However, El Mouradfi is one of the most popular accommodations among Russian tourists. Therefore, it would not be reasonable to look for alternative hotels. At the same time, tour operators believe that as soon as Tunisian hoteliers realize the implications of the change they will soften their demands. Thus, Konstantin Topolev, the Head of the Tunisian Department of Inna Tour, commented as follows: ‘if there is a drop in number of tourists from Russia in El Mouradi hotels, they will change everything back’.
    Besides, Tunisian hoteliers admit a small percentage of Russian tourists coming to the country: 100, 000 tourists per year, while Tunisia welcome 4 million European tourists every year. With the Russian market being important for Tunisian hoteliers and incoming companies, they are not interested in losing their clients.