By
Rebecca Gibson |
La Goulette Cruise terminal in Tunisia hosted its first cruise call of 2016 when Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa berthed in the port on 6 October.
Europa called in La Goulette with around 300 passengers as part of a 14-day classical music-themed cruise, which started in Barcelona, Spain and includes calls in Algeria, Morocco, Portugal and other Spanish cities. < /p>
Passengers were welcomed into La Goulette cruise village, where they were able to see camels, browse an exhibition of local handicrafts, and enjoy traditional entertainment and Arabic music. They were then able to take half-day excursions to attractions like the ruins of Carthage, Carthage Museum, the village of Sidi Bou Said and the Medina of Tunis.
In the afternoon, tourism and port authorities held a welcome ceremony for Eruopa’s captain, crew and passengers in the cruise village. The Minister of Tourism gave an address and then exchnaged gifts with the captain. Passengers also enjoyed an opera performance by tenor Hassan Doss, which was followed by a cocktail and sweet tasting.
Europa departed the port at 5pm for Skikda, Algeria. The National Office of Tunisian Tourism gifted each passenger with a bottle of Tunisian wine before the ship left La Goulette. < /p>
The call marks Tunisia’s return to the Mediterranean cruise map. Tourism in the country had dropped quickly following two separate terror attacks in the first half of 2015.