A remembrance service has been held in memorial of the 38 people killed in a terrorist attack last year in Port El Kantaoui, in the North of Tunisia. A minute’s silence will also be held at midday today throughout governmental buildings, including embassies in the UK and abroad, to show respect towards those affected.
Lone gunman, Seifeddine Rezgui, opened fire on the beach of The RIU Imperial Marhaba Hotel, before continuing his terror rampage through the pool area and into the hotels main building. He killed 38 people in total, including 33 Britons, and 3 Irish Nationals.
Since the attack, Tunisia's tourism levels, being one of it main trades, has crashed, causing around 192 hotels to close their doors within six months of the attack. One of these hotels includes the Imperial Marhaba Hotel, what has since tried to reopen, but has been unsuccessful.
The British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has extended its advice against all travel to some areas of Tunisia, and all but essential travel to the rest of the country.
Since a further attack in November 2015, A state of emergency has been declared in Tunisia, as further attacks are said to be highly likely.
When talking to Sky News, Nabil Ammar, Tunisia’s Ambassador to the UK and Ireland stated: “The message to say is: we are here, we are back. We are not going to let those who did horrible crimes claim victory at all.”
In order to battle terrorism in Tunisia, and to make tourists feel safe when holidaying in their country, the Tunisian Government have budgeted 550 million dinars ($225 million) to spend on higher security presence and security precautions, with popular tourist destinations and hotel chains taking priority.
Authorities claim that between January and April, 1,400 terror suspects were arrested.