If you've searched the web for private health insurance that covers expats in Tunisia then you are most likely for looking for established UK based health insurance providers that will cover your medical costs in Tunisia.
Living as an expatriate in Tunisia you want to avoid any unwanted and unexpected medical costs. In some countries these can amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds for very serious conditions.
Our advice when shopping around for health insurance that covers expatriates living in Tunisia is to speak to a insurance broker. Health insurance is very complicated and if you want absolute certainty that Tunisia is covered by your policy you should consult with a broker who can explain which policy providers will cover medical expenses for expatriates in Tunisia and which will not.
There are many advantages to using a broker but the largest by far is that you're using their expertise at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than by you so it costs you no extra to use their brokering services.
- Do you live in many different areas? Some will give you a lower premium than offers. A insurance broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance claim? A broker will know this vital information.
- If you are a couple and one of you has claimed on your policy this year would it be cheaper to separate you both onto two different insurance policies?
- You've developed a certain condition and want to know which policy provider offers the largest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you huge amounts of time and effort.
You can call around every medical insurance provider you can find and ask if they provider cover for expats in Tunisia, however this will be a very time consuming process. Each insurer will ask for your medical history because its not normally a simple yes or not if a medical condition is covered or not.
Its far far quicker to speak to one health insurance broker which will know which providers on the market offer cover for expats in Tunisia and under what terms they do or don't cover it.
Tunisia Information
Tourism in Tunisia is an industry that generates around 19.4 million arrivals per year in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020, which makes it the most visited countries in Africa. Tunisia has been an attractive destination for tourists since the beginning of the 1960s. Among Tunisia's tourist attractions are its cosmopolitan capital city of Tunis, the ancient ruins of Carthage, the Muslim and Jewish quarters of Djerba, and coastal resorts outside Monastir. According to The New York Times, Tunisia is "known for its golden beaches, sunny weather and affordable luxuries."
According to Garrett Nagle in his book Advanced Geography, Tunisia's tourist industry "benefits from its Mediterranean location and its tradition of low-cost package holidays from Western Europe." The development of tourism dates back to 1960 through the joint efforts of government and private groups. In 1962, tourism, with 52,000 entries and 4,000 beds, had a revenue of two million dollars and becomes the main source of foreign exchange in the country. Tunisia is also an attractive destination for its huge number of important festivals. The majority of these festivals occur in summer such as International Festival of Carthage which is the most important festival in the Arab world hosting stars and bands from all over the world, and Tabarka Jazz Festival.
Until recently, Tunisia's main attraction was on its northeast coastline around Tunis; however, the Seventh National Development Plan of 1989 created several new tourist areas including the resort at Port-el-Kantaoui. The tourism sector now represents 6.5% of Tunisia's GDP and provides 340,000 jobs of which 85,000 are direct jobs or 11.5% of the working population with a high share of seasonal employment. France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom are the four traditional tourist markets, though Tunisia has decided since the last few years to open its tourism industry to new markets such as Russia and China. From 2003-2004, it regained tourists, and 2007 saw arrivals increasing by 3 percent over that of 2006.
Tourism in Tunisia suffered severe blows following the Bardo National Museum attack and the Sousse attack in 2015, but Tunisia managed to retrieve its position as one of the top destinations in Africa and the Mediterranean shortly afterwards, reaching in 2018 numbers exceeding those of 2010 by 6 percent, and a record of 8.3 million visitors.
Tunisia is also a pioneer golfing destination in the Mediterranean. It offers world-class golf courses available year round due to the sunny and pleasant weather. Among the most important golf courses of the country:
Tunisia is one of the African countries that has the most marinas. Its yachting infrastructure attracts mostly European tourists who flee the harsh winter in their home countries to enjoy the pleasant weather and relatively warmer sea in Tunisia. The country is planning to create additional marinas in the coming years such as the one in the new modern economic center of Tunis Financial Harbor.
Since the Arab invasions on Tunisia, a growing population settled in the arid environment of the Numedian regions Medenine, Tataouine and Tozeur where they created oases as havens and also souks and old towns as new urban centers.