Fankhauser, group chief executive, would not be drawn on when the travel giant would return to the North African country from the UK following the Foreign Office’s (FCO) amending of its travel advice yesterday (July 26).

As a result of the FCO relaxing its advice, British tourists are now able to travel to most of the country, including capital Tunis and popular tourist resorts such as Sousse.

“I will not give a date as it is really early days,” Fankhauser told media during a conference call for the company’s Q3 financial results this morning.

He later stressed that building a new programme for Tunisia following an effective travel ban on the country for British holidaymakers would “take some time”.

“We got [the advice change news] yesterday from the government so we didn’t expect it…clearly the Foreign Office came to the conclusion that it is safe to travel,” he said.

“This is definitely good news for Tunisia, for Tunisian hoteliers and also the people who work in the country’s tourism industry.”

When asked by TTG if he believed consumer confidence for Tunisia was strong enough to warrant a new programme, Fankhauser said: “It is up to the customer to decide whether [they] want to go”.

“We think [Tunisia] is a very compelling destination and it has always offered value for customers."