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Tunisia offers tourists more than just sea, surf and sand
Throughout the centuries, Tunisia has been at the crossroads of civilizations: Phoenicians, Roman, Punic, Vandal and Arab. This ancient country has accumulated layers of heritage linked to different historical periods starting with prehistory, making it a prime candidate for the development of cultural tourism. An American tour operator has already taken notice and will soon start offering vacations that include a two-night stay at an archeological site where tourists can participate in the excavation.
President Ben Ali recognized the value of cultural heritage and noted “...we have brought the preservation of our heritage and its revitalization together to create a key factor for social progress and development, and a fundamental inspiration for cultural production.” In light of the country’s rapid socio-economic and urban development, President Ben Ali took a number of important measures to protect the national heritage. A new code for the protection of the archaeological and historic heritage and traditional arts was introduced.
Cultural tourism is one of the fastest-growing segments in the tourism industry. Destinations that can offer a diversified product are expected to gain an advantage. Tunisia already has diversified its tourism product. Golfing and hunting holidays are becoming more popular. The emphasis is now on developing cultural tourism. Boubaker Ben Fraj, director of the National Heritage Institute, explained, “Our objective is to have the tourists who come specifically for our beaches visit our heritage sites. Tunisia is different from other cultural destinations such as Egypt in that we have a variety of cultural sites that exist nowhere else in the world. We have remaining traces of all the civilizations.” Another particularity of Tunisia is that different periods are represented at one site. For example, the mosques of Zitouna and Kerouane were partially built with columns of temples dating back to antiquity. Tunisia’s cultural heritage is not limited to archeological sites. The cities of Tunis, Kerouane and Sousse are placed on the UNESCO world heritage list.
Tunisia has put in place a system of checks and balances to ensure the best development of this sector. The preservation of the sites and their development as tourist attractions are the responsibilities of two different bodies. The Institute’s responsibilities are the inventory of the country’s archaeological, cultural, historical and artistic heritage, the study of this heritage and its protection. Another agency is responsible for managing the heritage and for financing major cultural events.
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Table of Contents A crash course in 3000 years of world history |
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Each year, five million tourists flock to the Tunisian coastline. The small North African nation now receives more tourists than any other Arab and African country. Visitors come in every year to enjoy the ever-present sunshine, the pristine beaches, the high quality of accommodations and the legendary hospitality of Tunisians. Tunisia, however, is much more than beautiful beaches.
Tunisia is now home to seven monuments and sites on the UNESCO world heritage list. It is estimated that 2,500 sites are in Tunisia, many of which remain buried under the ground.
The cultural sites of Tunisia receive 2.5 millions visitors each year. In 1999, Tunisia put in place an action plan to develop cultural tourism. Tunisia wants to offer a high-quality product. The ministries of tourism and environment, organizations and agencies in charge of the preservation of the sites are currently working on a wide scale project with the World Bank. This project will permit the development of a strategy of valorization of the country’s heritage. Up until now, budgetary constraints have limited the expansion of this sub-sector. For example, the sites lack supporting infrastructure. Ben Fraj explained, “We want to diversify the cultural product so that when a tourist goes to a site, then it is more than just the site to be visited. We could have ecological or historical attractions attached to the site.