The 2nd edition of the Tunisian tourism meetings to define a strategy for the development of the tourism sector by 2035 started on Monday in Gammarth (northern suburb of Tunis).
Taking the floor at the opening of these meetings, Prime Minister Najla Bouden indicated that an action plan on the basis of an enlarged participative process has been set up to revive the tourism sector.
This plan is mainly based on the diversification of the tourist product, including cultural and sports tourism and festival tourism and other niches.
She stressed that this tourism meeting, which will continue over a 6-month period, is a participatory project that brings together all stakeholders in the different regions of the country.
The objective of this initiative is to reach a common vision and to identify a strategy for the tourist sector that will be announced in September 2022.
For his part, Minister of Tourism and Handicraft Mohamed Moez Belhassine said that these debates will see the launch on June 28, 2022 of an online consultation dedicated to the various partners of the sector, as well as to Tunisians living abroad to present their suggestions and opinions.
“The tourist sector development strategy by 2035 will be launched on September 27, 2022”, he added.
Belhassine noted that “the tourism sector is undergoing several changes today, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires its adaptation to the global market.” He, in the same context, stressed the importance of enriching the tourist product and promoting it abroad, while encouraging tourist investments.
The Tunisian tourism meetings will tackle four axes within the framework of the workshops that will be held during this event, namely: “the development of the competitiveness of the Tunisian tourist destination”, “the diversification and development of the tourist product”, “investment in the tourist sector to create employment” and “the adoption of an innovative and intelligent strategy to promote the tourist destination”.
The debates will include an action plan in the different regions of the country. The debates will be organised in Tozeur On May 16, 2022, and will concern the three governorates of the Tunisian south (Tozeur, Kébili and Gafsa).
They will be held in the governorate of Gabes on May 18, 2022, and will concern the governorates of Gabès and Sfax. On May 20, 2022, the tourism meetings will be organised in Kasserine for the governorates of Kasserine, Kairouan and Sidi Bouzid.
The city of Tabarka will host, on May 25, 2022, the Tunisian tourism meetings for the governorates of Jendouba, Kef, Béja and Siliana, and for the governorates of Médenine and Tataouine, the debates are planned to take place in Djerba on May 30, 2022.
The monetary and financial indicators of the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT), published on March 3, 2022, predict an increase in tourism receipts by almost 40%, at the end of February 2022, going from 234 MD to 327 MD.
