TUNIS, Tunisia — RIU is considering pulling out of Tunisia after extremist ******* that ****** 59 tourists and devastated the Tunisian tourism industry.

RIU said in a statement Monday that it is in talks with owners of the nine properties it currently operates in Tunisia about their future. RIU operated the Imperial Marhaba Hotel targeted in a ****** ****** in Sousse in June.

Tunisian Hotel Federation chief Radhouane Ben Salah told The Associated Press that RIU’s decision was prompted by difficulty in marketing Tunisia to tourists after the *******. He said about 50 of the country’s 600 hotels have already closed since the *******.

Tunisia’s tourism minister said Sunday that the number of visitors has dropped 20 per cent so far this year to 4 million.