Meet the Tunisian Women at the Forefront of Tunisia’s Tourism Industry

Articles / 12-08-2022

Today, on National Women’s Day, we have the privilege of highlighting six inspiring women working tirelessly to improve Tunisia’s tourism industry. These featured women have varying occupations in regions throughout the country. And yet, despite their different roles, each is doing remarkable work to highlight Tunisia’s past, enrich its present, and brighten its future through their dedication to making the tourism sector more inclusive and sustainable. Their stories and individual accomplishments can each stand alone, but, when told together, they represent a striking force in the future of the country and the futures of their respective regions. They are innovators, business owners, policy makers, content creators, social entrepreneurs, conservationists, culture heritage experts and more. It is our pleasure and honor at the USAID Visit Tunisia Activity to call them our partners.Read their stories and prepare to be inspired!



Mouna Ghliss



Mouna Ghliss currently serves as the Head of The Office of Studies and International Cooperation for Tunisia’s Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts. In her position, she supervises and supports many tourism projects, entities, businesses, and organizations ranging across the country. With an innovative approach to adopting and supporting new ideas, Mouna considers the many components of a thriving tourism industry and works to support them all, from the granular to the large-scale, while always keeping Tunisia’s tourism vision in mind.



Leila Ben Gacem



Leila Ben-Gacem is a Tunisian social entrepreneur and conservationist focused on creating innovative opportunities for Tunisians related to cultural heritage and history. Her passion for her people helped her found Blue Fish, an organization that supports women artisans through training and connecting their goods and work with the private sector. Since her company's launch in 2006,  she has continued to build and sustain flourishing tourism institutions such as hotel Dar Ben-Gacem in the Tunis Medina and Dar el Harka, a cultural hub and coworking space.



Hadda Jinnaoui



Hadda runs a mountaintop pottery workshop in Ain Draham with a wood-fired kiln. She makes pieces in the traditional style, using local minerals as a glaze. Hadda learned the practice from her husband's family, and her passion and commitment for the craft shine through in her work. She's keeping this tradition alive and creating beautiful pottery as a result. Visitors can enjoy a demonstration of the traditional process and enjoy the presence of a truly talented artisan on a visit to her studio.



Dora Milad



Dora was recently elected as the first woman President of the Tunisian Hotel Federation. She is an advocate for the tourism industry, endlessly working to protect hotels and small business owners through the economic challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Though she works with hotels, she acknowledges that accommodation is just one piece of Tunisia’s tourism puzzle. She is known as an advocate for uniting the private and public sectors under a common dream. Dora hopes to build a tourism industry where Tunisians feel proud to welcome visitors to their homeland. This requires cooperation and unity, and she is the perfect person to lead this charge for change.



Amel Hachana



Amel is a lawyer and linguist with a rich background in cultural heritage. As the General Director of Tunisia’s Agency for the Development of Heritage and Cultural Promotion (AMVPPC), she contributes to the country’s management, development, and promotion of cultural and archeological heritage. Amel is an expert in cultural preservation with previous experience working with UNESCO and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH ) on various projects. She is extremely passionate about sharing her heritage with others and has dedicated her life to making sure that her traditions are not only passed down to the next generation, but shared with the world.



Manel Jouini



Also known by her social media name, Tanwicha, Maleh Jouini is a Tunisian influencer and vlogger who strives to conserve and share traditional Tunisian recipes and dishes from all over the country. In doing so, she promotes Tunisia as an internationally undiscovered culinary treasure with endless opportunities to explore through taste. She is known for her colorful videos and lively commentary that inspire foodies worldwide to add Tunisia to their bucket lists.

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