Tunis — RIU Hotels and Resorts, one of the major international hotel chains, is planning to open two new hotels in Tunisia in 2009. Club Hotel RIU Marco Polo will be opening in Yasmine Hammamet in April 2009. The four star hotel will have 460 rooms and will cater to young people and families.

The second hotel is the RIU Palace Hammamet Marhaba, which is RIU's new luxury proposal in Tunisia. The hotel which is expected to open its doors in June 2009, will comprise 170 rooms, as well as restaurant, bars, conference rooms and a major thalasso therapy centre.

In addition to these facilities, the chain is also planning to renovate its 200 bungalows, bringing the total number of rooms to 370.

The chain has also launched a major renovation effort throughout most of its Tunisian facilities.

This summer, an Austrian tour operator awarded its annual Gold Medal to RIU's seven Tunisian hotels.

RIU Hotels and Resorts has been present in Tunisia since 1999, and currently operates 7 hotels and a total of 1,991 rooms. The company owns 100 hotels in the world in 16 countries, and is ranked 27 th worldwide.