LA GOULETTE, Tunisia (AP) - The first cruise ship has arrived in Tunisia since a deadly Islamic extremist attack on the country’s leading museum last year, a voyage welcomed by singers, dancers and government officials who hope it marks a rebirth of Tunisian tourism.
The MS Europa pulled into the port of La Goulette near the capital Thursday carrying 310 passengers, most of them Germans. Extra security was on hand for the arrival, along with Tunisia’s tourism minister, trumpeters and camels.
Some 60 foreign tourists were killed in separate extremist attacks last year at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis and a beach resort near Sousse. The attacks devastated Tunisia’s tourism sector as travel agencies pulled out and governments issued travel warnings.
Some of the passengers said they made the trip to defy terrorists.
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