Situated on the North African coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Algeria and Libya and just south of Italy, Tunisia represents an intriguing cross-cultural blend of Europe and Africa. Tunisia is situated on the fringe of the Sahara, and while it has an arid land it is not a stereotypically desert country. The total area of Tunisia is 164,418 sq km (63,482 sq mi). The capital and largest city of Tunisia is Tunis (1.7 million).

Tunisia is considered to be the one of the most stable countries in the Arab speaking world, and certainly the most politically and economically stable country in all of Africa, Tunisia is a founding member of the World Trade Organization and has a trade association agreement with the EU. The Tunisian people have strong links to Europe and consider themselves to be more European in nature than African or Middle Eastern. Within two hours flight of the capital, Tunis you are able to reach most established European capitals whilst flight times to the UK are just less than 3 hours. A stable currency and consistently low inflation levels below 3% have helped to place Tunisia in a great position to benefit from direct foreign investment which is currently pouring into the country.

The economy received a boost in July 2008, with official figures showing strong growth, alongside a slowing inflation rate and an increase in foreign reserves. With such a strong economy and politically stable government and growing tourism Tunisia represents an excellent opportunity for Tunisia property investors.

International Hot property has Identified and researched property in Tunisia and has targeted the new five star luxury resorts in the areas of Sousse and Hammamet as the best place to invest in Tunisia Property. Until recently the Tunisia government discouraged overseas property ownership not wishing to price the local people out of their own housing which tends to happen all over the world in a growing property market. This fact when taken into consideration with the stable government and dynamic economy really does confirm Tunisia as one of the very best for overseas property investment and that’s before you even consider the low price entry level.

WHY INVEST IN TUNISIA PROPERTY?

Although only about the same size as England, the country is geographically diverse. Tunisia includes parts of the three major regions described for Algeria; in the north a narrow coastal strip backed by mountains; a central and western district of mountain and plateau or 'tell' country; and a low-lying region in the south which is either steppe or desert, the fringe of the Sahara. Mediterranean Tunisia has the typical climate expected from this region, hot dry summers and mild sometimes rainy winters with little marked seasons in between. Temperatures peak to 32 or 33 degrees Celsius in July and August dropping to a comfortable 14 or 16 degrees in the winter season. Sea-borne breezes take the intensity out of the searing summer heat making a visit to Tunisia pleasant all year round. The climate becomes progressively drier towards the south of Tunisia and summer temperatures can rise very high inland, since this area has a virtual Sahara climate. Rainfall can occasionally be heavy in spring and autumn although days with rain are rare.

According to information from the governmental National Statistics Institute (NSI), Tunisia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2008 rose to approximately TD 6.2bn - up from TD 5.86bn the previous year - thanks largely to robust activity in the transport, telecom and industrial sectors. While this is slower than the 6.5% growth rate in the first quarter of 2007 - one of the highest in a decade - it still underlines the country's healthy performance against potential slowdowns in the US and European economies. Tunisia has benefited heavily from its close ties with the EU, with exports making up to 45% of the country's GDP. Making the most of its recent free trade agreement with the EU, the country is looking to position itself as an industrial production base for the Mediterranean and North African region. Although Tunisia faced added competition from Chinese producers following the end of import quotas, export-oriented textile firms in Tunisia have grown by 12% year-on-year, with many European manufacturers drawn by cheap labour and close proximity. The Republic of Tunisia with a population of 10.1 million is considered as one of the most stable countries in the Arab region. For the past decade it has been a shining example to other African and Middle Eastern nations on how to grow and prosper as a developing nation. In 2007, the World Economic Forum ranked the country as the number 1 most competitive African economy (29th in the world) with also the highest ranking out of all the countries in the Arab speaking world. Comparing other nations in the region, Morocco ranked 64th while Egypt came in 77th out of 131. In the same report, Italy was placed in 42nd position, 13 places below Tunisia. GDP per capita is around US$8,800. The country has had to work extra hard to develop its industry and economy to the level it is at today. Unlike its larger neighbours, Libya and Algeria, Tunisia produces very little oil and so the country had to develop and excel its other industries such as tourism, manufacturing and agriculture. Needless to say that Tunisia's economic reform program has been lauded as a model example by international financial institutions. Tunisia acceded to the GATT in 1990, is a founding member of WTO, and has an Association Agreement on free trade with the EU.

Tunisia is a country which has promoted its assets well. It has developed facilities for tourism and is now one of the premier destinations in Africa for holidaying Europeans with year round sunshine, excellent hotels and beaches, fine golf courses and first-class service. In 2004 the Tunisian government decided that a new airport should be built on a 6,500ha site at Enfidha, 15 minutes drive from Port El Kantaoui and 25 minutes drive from Hammamet. –The airport will be a state-of-the-art international airport complex with first-class shopping, restaurants, entertainment facilities and service for the airlines and passengers. Tunisia already has a very large tourist business, 6.8 million tourists chose Tunisia in 2007, a major achievement for a country with a population of just 10 million, and with experts forecasting an annual increase of 4.3% between 2009 and 2018. However, this forecast is already being dwarfed as tourism has already risen by 4.4% during the first half of 2008. The tourism sector now contributes to 6.5% of Tunisia's GDP and provides 350,000 jobs for the working population of Tunisia

Tunisia property offers one of the best opportunities in the world today for the streetwise property investor wishing to find the next emerging property market before it happens. The largest developers from Dubai have recently started to invest very heavily into Tunisia, realizing the stability of the region and the proximity to Europe making Tunisia an ideal link between Africa, Middle East and Europe. In the capital Tunis, they are currently investing over $10bn in projects such as Tunis Financial centre and Tunis Sports City based on the popular concepts from Dubai itself. Further south, they are investing $2bn in a picturesque coastal region creating an artificial marina, a world class golf course, exclusive residential properties and a number of luxury 5-star hotels. Other factors that make Tunisia property so attractive is the low cost entry level currently around 1000 Euros per square meter for 5 star front line premier located developments, The new state of the art International airport (biggest in Africa), dynamic economy, stable government, exceptionally high tourist levels that are continually increasing and not to forget Dubai investors moving into Tunisia. We believe Tunisia property represents one of the best property investments in the world today.

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