Spring is over, but this oasis still needs visiting

THE man in the leather jacket who had just jumped down from the back of his camel was good humouredly trying to persuade us to have a ride on the grumpy-looking beast.

He had no luck in changing our minds. But after chatting his face fell serious: "You will tell people our country is beautiful. You tell the tourists to come back."

Tunisia is indeed a beautiful country and currently trying to entice holidaymakers back, scared off by its recent political turmoil.

Two years ago, it underwent a revolution which was the trigger for the Arab Spring, sparking a wave of similar protests across North Africa and the Middle East.

It was sparked by a single fruit seller, who set fire to himself out of despair when officials confiscated his fruit stall and subsequently humiliated him. It was a catalyst for public anger and the protests that followed resulted in the country switching from a secular dictatorship to an Islamic-led democracy.

Now Tunisia is very serious about welcoming back its tourists.

And they are returning, drawn to its North African climate, vibrant souks and beautiful coastline.

I arrived slightly tentatively, not knowing if the political upheaval had affected attitudes to tourism or Westerners. Tunisia traditionally enjoyed a more liberal cultural and global outlook than other North African states.

But it was apparent almost as soon as we arrived in the capital, Tunis, that it still maintained these values.

A short drive out of Tunis is Sousse, an ancient coastal city.It is also home to the impressive Sousse Archaeological Museum.

It contains vast Roman and Byzantium mosaics discovered in the area. Most of the artworks are astonishingly sophisticated and intricate, depicting Gods, myths, wildlife and the seasons and were restored with Unesco grants.

The museum is housed in Sousse Ribat, which was originally built as a coastal fortress in the ninth century.

Until 2000, the ribat was used as a prison, with the museum housed inside the prison walls.

Port El Kantaoui is a popular destination for Tunisians and full of good restaurants nestled around its yachtpacked marina. We spent the best part of an afternoon in La Dorade restaurant.

It is easy to eat well in Tunisia. Fruit and vegetables bursting with colour are sold everywhere and seafood is abundant.

Its own traditional cuisine is influenced by the Berbers, Persians, Turks and Egyptians. Being a former French colony, Tunisian cuisine also cherry picks the best of French food, along with Italian and other European influences. It also has a good wine industry.

Another destination popular with holidaymakers is Hammamet, once contained within the walls of its ancient Medina.

Yasmine Hammamet is bursting with hotels and very much geared for tourists. There are long stretches of sandy beaches, camel rides, scuba diving lessons and plenty of other resort-type facilities.

In Southern Hammamet, the ancient walls of the medina that once protected the city now house yet more facilities for tourists, with a zoo, water park, restaurants, clubs and shops. Southern Hammamet is also where most of the city' s five-star hotels can be found.

The ancient part of the city has more traditional Tunisian streets, where alleyways snake between whitewashed buildings decorated with heavy pastel blue doors and tiled mosaics.

Down one such street is Dar Khadija museum, situated in a traditional Arab house and depicting 2,000 years of the city' s history.

If you want to leave the tourist areas behind, the pretty village of Hergla offers some respite. It lies just 20 minutes from the sophistication of Port El Kantaoui, but feels undiscovered.

Many of the residents make a living selling objects woven from grass they have harvested and dried themselves and hang their pots and baskets from olive trees in the sleepy village.

It' s also where Dar Khadija guesthouse is situated, which can be hired out as a self-catering villa. Stylishly decorated with traditional furniture and antiques, with rooms arranged around a central pool, it is tremendously peaceful and has hosted a number of foreign ambassadors.

But it is hard to go far in Tunisia without reminders of its recently overthrown president, who had vast presidential palaces all over the country and in Port El Kantaoui even built a marina for the yachts of his visiting friends and family.

In a vast casino in Gammarth, outside the capital, the state had begun auctioning off some of the belongings of overthrown president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

The sale is expected to raise 100 million euros which will be ploughed back into road building and other infrastructure projects.

A huge burden of expectation sits on the shoulders of its current government. The coalition, led by the majority Islamic Annahda party, now has to walk a tightrope between maintaining Tunisia' s relatively liberal values and being seen to not tolerate the kind of corruption that blighted the country under the previous regime.

Whether Tunisians are supporting the actions of a fruit seller despairing at corruption or accepting numerous cultures without losing sight of their own, this is a country that has integrity at its heart. And is worth a visit.

Travel Facts

Hotels: Hasdrubal Thalasssa & Spa Hotel, Port El Kantaoui. Prices start at 118 per night. 5* www.hasdrubal-thalassa.com

Riu Pa lace Marhaba Hotel, Hammamet. Prices start from 94.64 per night. 5* www.riu.com/en/Paises/tunisia/hammamet

Regency Hotel, Tunis. www. regencyhotel-tunis. com

Flights: Tunisair operates five flights per week from London Heathrow to Tunis, prices start from 202, including taxes. For reservations, call (0207) 734 76 44 or go to www.tunisair.com.

For travel information on Tunisia, go to www.cometotunisia.co.uk.