Tui confirms it may return to selling UK trips to Tunisia

Tour operator Tui has confirmed it is looking at reinstating holidays from the UK to Tunisia, but will make a final decision based on demand.

TUI is already flying tourists from Belgium to the whole of Tunisia and Germans to some parts.

The Foreign Office relaxed its travel advice for Tunisia at the end of July after two years of restrictions.

TUI said sales rose by 12.6% in the third quarter to 4.78bn (£4.3bn) while profits rose by 37.7% to 221.6m euros.

The firm also said the rebranding of Thomson in the UK to TUI would be completed by the autumn.

Last month , the government revised its travel advice for Tunisia where 31 Britons were killed in a terror attack at a resort in Sousse in 2015.

For two years, travellers were told to stay away from the country for all but essential travel.

The Foreign Office has now lifted the advice for the capital Tunis and major tourist resorts.

Britons are still being warned to avoid parts of the south and interior, and the Algerian and Libyan borders.

The US, France, Italy and Germany had already relaxed their travel advice before the British government's announcement.

Fritz Joussen, Tui Group chief executive said a decision on UK sales had not yet been made: "Whether we put up a programme is not decided."

Announcing its third quarter results he said he now expected a "strong year" with full year sales expected to growth by more than the 3% previously forecast.

At the time of the Foreign Office announcement rival tour operator Thomas Cook said: "We're pleased that the Foreign Office has taken this decision to open Tunisia back up to Brits. 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 have any further news."