Over 450 Tunisian youth and persons with disabilities bringing awareness to sustainable tourism in Kairouan

Articles / 27-12-2022
Photo: © JCI

USAID Visit Tunisia launched an environmentally focused public awareness campaign in Kairouan in mid-September 2022. A clean-up and a cultural treasure hunt in the medina brought over 450 children and people with disabilities together. The 4th and last edition of the treasure hunt took place on Sunday, November 20th where children and people with disabilities explored Kairouan’s hidden treasure together in a fun and collaborative activity.

Shifting Tunisians’ mindset toward more sustainable tourism in Kairouan



Kairouan, one of our six priority destinations, has a high level of cultural attractions and opportunities for sustainable tourism that are currently not being realized. In collaboration with key local stakeholders, USAID Visit Tunisia aimed at raising public awareness on the importance of adopting an environmentally conscious approach to tourism and its importance for Tunisia through engaging young children and local communities in Kairouan in fun and educational activities. The treasure hunt is one of them.

“Young people today don't know about their city and its origins. Kairouan is one of the most historically significant cities in the Middle East and Africa, but only a few students know its history. Very few young people know about historical figures who have made Tunisia what it is today. This project focused on memorable people who have greatly impacted our society. We wanted to inspire the students and show them that they can also be people who change our city, our minds, and our futures. And, if they learn about their heritage, they will also want to keep the city clean and beautiful for future generations.”
— Ghassen Kharrat, President of Jeune Chambre Internationale (JCI) —

Each Sunday between September and November 2022, kids from Kairouan aging from 8 to 12 years old, as well as visitors, followed a map of environmental and cultural clues to discover the medina and win prizes. The last treasure hunt included people with disabilities and was adapted to them so they could enjoy it to its fullest! All were very engaged and happy to participate in an activity to learn more about Kairouan's hidden gems.

Personalities and characters playing historians or famous people from Kairouan storytelling their biography and presenting the game for the kids and people with disabilities.

By shedding light on the importance of tourism, we hope Tunisians will be more willing to support tourism development and reinforce positive behavior.

“The treasure hunt won “the activity of the year [2022] award for best national and international impact” JCI Tunisia, across all the JCI groups in the country.”
— Ghassen Kharrat, President of Jeune Chambre Internationale (JCI) —

The treasure hunt in the media spotlight


Both Visit Tunisia’s clean-up and treasure huntactivities garnered wide media attention. They received coverage on regional radios, national television news, and digital outlets such as Radio/Tv Web Mega Kairouan,Tunisie.co, and Commissariat Régional au Tourisme de Kairouan, to name a few.
Photo: © Tunisie.co
Photo: © Commissariat Régional au Tourisme de Kairouan

What’s next in Kairouan?


USAID Visit Tunisia will continue to support Tunisia’s tourism industry shift to a more sustainable approach by engaging the community - public and private sectors and civil society - to undertake a tree planting activity to beautify significant tourism sites in Kairouan. As part of the public awareness campaign, the upcoming tree planting activity is an important ecological activity to fight climate change, as trees help protect against heatwaves and floods in urban areas.

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