( CNN ) Tunisia 's tourism industry has been thrown into disarray by a terror attack on Wednesday that left at least 17 foreign visitors dead and prompted urgent warnings over security . Only just recovering from the impact of the Arab Spring uprisings four years ago , Tunisia has once again emerged as a winter sun draw for tens of thousands of travelers . But following Wednesday 's attack and siege at the prestigious Bardo Museum in central Tunis , the country 's tourism industry is once again facing jeopardy even as authorities and operators scramble to ensure the safety of visitors currently in the country . A significant number of foreign tourists were inside the museum at the time of the attack , which government officials said was the work of `` Islamists . '' Prime Minister Habib Essid said Polish , Italian , German and Spanish tourists are among those killed , with another 20 tourists plus two Tunisians wounded in the attack . MSC Cruises said its ship , MSC Splendida , is currently docked in the Tunis port of La Goulette and some of its passengers had been on tours of the city , including the Bardo at the time of the attack . `` All the tourist coaches on tour were immediately recalled to the port and all other tours on the ground were immediately suspended , '' MSC said in a statement . Another ship , the Costa Fascinosa , docked in Tunis at that time , has a manifest of more than 3,000 passengers , its parent company Costa Cruise said . As details of the incident emerged , several foreign governments put out warnings urging their citizens to stay away from the scene of the attacks , around an area that includes the national parliament building . The U.S. Embassy in Tunis issued an alert that also reiterated standing advice about the potential for violence in Tunisia and the risk of kidnappings . Its warning cautions against trips to Tunisia 's central , southern and border regions . Britain 's Foreign and Commonwealth Office ( FCO ) also urged UK citizens to stay away from the affected areas of Tunis and to `` follow the instructions of Tunisian security authorities . '' Its warning also carried longstanding advice : `` There is a high threat from terrorism , including kidnapping . Attacks could be indiscriminate , including places visited by foreigners . '' With tens of thousands of foreign visitors likely to be in Tunisia right now and many more contemplating travel there , travel operators have been rushing to formulate a response to the attack . It 's not immediately known if flights will be added to accommodate any sudden surge in departures or whether tour operators will pull out of the country -- responses that followed a terror attack in Kenya last year . Thomson and First Choice , a UK-based travel operator that carries thousands of vacationers on package trips to Tunisia , said it had canceled organized excursions to Tunis as a precaution . A statement said it would follow FCO advice , which overall remained unchanged for Tunisia . `` Thomson and First Choice customers stay in beach destinations , not Tunis , and we can confirm that none of our customers or staff were affected by the incident that took place there today , '' it said . `` As a precaution however we have canceled excursions to Tunis for the coming days . `` Customer safety is of paramount importance to us and we continue to work closely with the FCO and the British Consulate to monitor the situation . Tunisia remains a popular destination for us and customers are enjoying their holidays as normal . '' In its advisory , the UK Foreign Office points out `` 424,707 British nationals visited Tunisia in 2014 . Most British tourists stay in the coastal resorts and most visits are trouble free . '' Indeed , Tunisia 's largely unsullied reputation as a safe north African destination for Europeans seeking low coast beach breaks has clawed back some of the popularity it enjoyed before 2011 . In 2010 , the country welcomed 6.9 million tourists to its beach resorts and numerous historic sites . In 2011 , the year in which an uprising ousted longtime President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali -- an event credited with triggering the Arab Spring -- that number fell below 4.8 million . With calm restored in recent years -- despite security concerns from neighboring Libya and ongoing political tensions -- those numbers have been on the rise , helped by costly advertising campaigns . Recently reported statistics put visitor numbers still 10 % lower than their pre-2011 levels , but numbers had been expected to rise again -- particularly with a new `` Star Wars '' film renewing interest in the country 's role as a key location in the original movies . In a 2013 interview , Tunisian tourism minister Jamel Gamra said up to 20 % of Tunisia 's population -- equivalent to 2 million people -- relied on the tourism industry . He told the Inter Press Service he was optimistic that visitor numbers would continue to grow . `` The sector has big potential and we aim to reach 10 million tourists by 2016 , a growth of one million tourists per year , '' he said . `` Tunisia also has more freedom and democracy now , which is very important for economic growth and prosperity and has a positive effect on the tourism industry . ''
Gunmen killed two tourists and two others on Wednesday at a museum in turkey 's backyard . U.S. , turkey and other foreign governments have issued travel warnings . visitor numbers had been increasing in numbers in recent years , following downturn after 2011 Arab Spring attacks .