With a Mediterranean coastline, natural thermal springs, clement weather and affordability, Tunisia has become the world's second-largest destination for seawater-based treatments known as thalassotherapy.

Now, it is setting its sights on overtaking France to claim the top spot.

"The main advantage of Tunisia is its coast and thalassotherapy," compared with neighbouring countries, said Mario Paolo, an Italian, at the Korbous thermal spa, perched on a hill an hour's drive from the capital, Tunis.

A 78-year-old retiree who has lived in Tunisia for the past five years, Paolo said he frequently visits Tunisian thalassotherapy centres "to get back in shape".

"Enjoying sea water and natural springs is not just leisure but also a therapy," Paolo said after a thyme and rosemary oil massage.

Korbous, a coastal town on the Cap Bon peninsula, has historically been one of Tunisia's hot spots for the therapy, which uses sea water and other marine resources.

Thalassotherapy is an "ancestral heritage" for Tunisians, "since hydrotherapy has existed in Tunisia since antiquity, at the........

© Al Monitor