Tunis - Tunisia's attracted 5.5 million tourists in the first ten months a rise of 5.7 percent compared with the same period last year, though revenue fell by 1.7 percent, the tourism ministry said.
Tunisia's tourist industry - a key source of income for the small North African country - has been wary of a fall in bookings after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a popular beach resort two weeks ago.
Revenues from tourism totalled 2.664-billion Tunisian dinars for the first ten months of this year, according to the data released by the ministry.
Revenues reached $2.1-billion last year, up 30 percent from the previous year.
The industry has been returning to normal after the 2011 uprising that toppled Tunisia's autocratic leader President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and the political turmoil of the transition to democracy that followed.
But in the first such attack in a decade, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Tunisian tourist resort of Sousse last month as the country finds itself battling Islamist militants spurred by chaos in neighbouring Libya.
Tourism minister Jamel Ben Gamra said the incident did not cause cancellation of any reservations.
With the increasing attacks by Islamist militants, Tunisia has tightened security measures on hotels to protect its tourism industry, which provides more than 500 000 jobs.
The assassination of secular politicians Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi by Islamist militants this year provoked the worst unrest in Tunisia since the 2011 uprising.
Opposition parties protested for months to demand the moderate ruling Islamist party Ennahda resign. The government has agreed to step down later this month after talks to name a new caretaker administration that will govern until elections. - Reuters