Tui has confirmed it will “look at whether to re-introduce” Tunisia for future seasons, after the Foreign Office (FCO) relaxed its travel advice for the destination on Wednesday.
A spokesperson said: “Thomson and First Choice follow the FCO’s advice for all destinations we operate to.
“As the overall level of advice has now changed for Tunisia, we will look at whether we will re-introduce the destination for future seasons, which will also take in to account customer demand.”
A Thomas Cook spokesperson said the operator was "pleased the Foreign Office has taken this decision to open Tunisia back up to [British tourists]."
"It’s great for Tunisia, which used to welcome many thousands of British holidaymakers.
"We’ll take a bit of time to look at how and when we put this once-popular destination back on sale and we will update our customers when we have any further news," the spokesperson added.
In an updated statement on its website, the FCO said it no longer advised against travel to Tunisia, "except for parts of the south and interior and certain areas near the borders with Algeria and Libya".
The FCO initially amended its advice following the Sousse terror attack in which 30 British holidaymakers were killed.
A Monarch spokesperson said that following the advice change "we will assess whether we start flights and holidays there again".
A spokesperson for Abta added: “This change in level of travel advice means that travel to Tunisia can now resume and travel companies can put in place plans for holidays to Tunisia to restart, should they wish to do so.
“The FCO advice states that ’the UK government has been working closely with the Tunisian authorities to investigate the attack and the wider threat from terrorist groups. The Tunisian government has improved protective security in major cities and tourist resorts’.
“Abta and its members rely on the informed expertise of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in relation to travel advice regarding specific destinations and will always advise the travelling public to follow this advice. Holidaymakers should always check this advice before booking or travelling to a destination.”
Peter Kirk, managing director of Tunisia specialist Tunisia First said the decision was “great news” for the operator and the country’s tourism industry.
“It’s been two years since the FCO’s advice and it’s just fantastic for the Tunisian people who have really suffered because of the awful thing that happened,” he told TTG.
“[After Sousse] our business was wiped out overnight and we went from carrying between 4,000-5,000 passengers a year to a few hundred. It’ll be great to get our programme back to where it was.”
Kirk said he believed "the market [for Tunisia] has gone for this summer but there’s no reason why we can’t get it back and see an increase this winter and into next summer.”
He explained how Tunisia First had continued to operate to the destination since the Sousse attack, paying strict care to the FCO’s advice.
“We have been operating to Tunisia since 2002 and we’ve built up a lot of regular clients who have still been travelling to Tunisia since the advice came into place.
"They haven’t had any problems and are coming back telling us how impressed they are by the extra security that has been put in place around hotels and resorts," Kirk continued.
He added that he believed bigger tour operators including Tui and Thomas Cook “could face problems getting the beds they used to have”, due to the influx of Russian tourist to Tunisia after the downing of Metrojet Flight 9268 travelling from Sharm El Sheikh put Egypt out of bounds.
Agency Just Sunshine said in a statement: "As the largest independent tour operator to Tunisia we are delighted that the British government has now relaxed restrictions on travel to this beautiful destination.
"We are already in discussions with our airline partners with a view to introducing flights as quickly as possible and as we are part of the El Mouradi group which includes Tunisia’s largest hotel chain we hope to be able to offer a wide selection of holidays to all the major resorts as soon as possible.
"We are committed to rebuilding tourism to Tunisia and will be working closely with The Tunisian National Tourist Office and all our partners to ensure that Tunisia once again becomes one of the UK’s most popular destinations."
Aito chairman Derek Moore added: "The news that the FCO is lifting their advice against visiting Tunisia is a welcome fillip for the UK travel industry.
"Although the news comes a little late in the summer 2017 season, it will hopefully allow some operators to launch return to Tunisia programmes in time for the winter 2017/18 season.
"With the western Mediterranean selling well, Tunisia will provide additional product and might well encourage late sales.
"It may be that relatives of those who lost loved ones in the Tunisia tragedy might feel aggrieved that their loss has been forgotten and that the travel trade is now simply forgetting what happened there.
"Hopefully, however, they will realise that the time taken for the FCO to change their advice is evidence that there has been careful consideration before this decision has finally been taken."