The Tunisian secretary of state for tourism is in talks with UK operators to resume flights this summer and jointly promote the country.

Slim Chaker said a marketing campaign to promote Tunisia was due to launch on April 25 in time for the summer season.

This follows the revolution in the country in January, which has been followed by a wave of protests across the Middle East.

He is hopeful of a compromise with Thomas Cook and Tui Travel, which have cancelled some regional charters to Enfidha in Tunisia follwing a slump in demand, based on the “special relationship” between the destination and UK operators.

Tourism is the country’s biggest earner of foreign currency and employs 400,000 people. “Tourism is our oil,” added Chaker.

Chaker said he had not ruled out an increase in the number of Brits visiting Tunisia this year if talks with the trade are successful. A total of 350,000 UK visitors went to Tunisia last year.

A government-funded upgrade programme to improve the quality of hotel accommodation has been underway in the country for the past two years, with 100 hotels already benefiting from improved facilities, he said.