The USAID Visit Tunisia Activity is designed to support all of Tunisia through national initiatives, including developing international source markets while supporting specific destination development efforts
Visit Tunisia partners with government agencies, private enterprises, tourism associations, destination marketing agencies, and content creators to market Tunisia as a compelling tourism destination.
Working at the National Level
Visit Tunisia kicked off the project by meeting with the Ministry Of Tourism And Handicrafts (MoTH), the National Tourism Board (ONTT), the Ministry Of Culture, and industry associations.Visit Tunisia works with the Government of Tunisia and national tourism associations on key national initiatives.
These include:
- National Tourism Strategy 2030
- Tourism Industry Association Strengthening
- Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Standards
- Strategic Marketing Planning
- National Marketing Campaigns
- Public Awareness Campaigns
- Air Services Development
- Data-Driven Decision Making
In addition, many of our funding opportunities and technical assistance programs are designed to support tourism businesses, event and festival organizers, and entrepreneurs across all of Tunisia.
These include:
- Tourism Product Development
- Event & Festival Development
- Pathways to Professionalism (Workforce Training & Licensure)
- Pathways to Profitability (SME Training & Market Linkages)
- Microfinance Support
- Investment Facilitation
Working at the Destination Level
In addition to national initiatives, Visit Tunisia is designed to support specific destinations within Tunisia through a clustering approach of tourism stakeholders conducting public-private dialogue to create and implement destination development plans.
These plans are designed to:
- Identify priorities for investment in tourism site infrastructure,
- Explore opportunities for public-private partnership concessions,
- Define existing and new events that will attract visitors,
- Improve destination governance and coordination,
- Create regional and destination marketing partnerships,
- Strengthen linkages between tourism service providers, and
- Improve tourism development coordination and communication between central and local governments
A destination is defined by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as: “a physical space with or without administrative and/or analytical boundaries in which a visitor can spend an overnight. It is the cluster (co-location) of products and services, and of activities and experiences along the tourism value chain and a basic unit of analysis of tourism. A destination incorporates various stakeholders and can network to form larger destinations. It is also intangible with its image and identity which may influence its market competitiveness.”
Visit Tunisia assessed both attractions and destinations throughout Tunisia in collaboration with the ONTT’s regional tourism offices (CRTs) while conducting regional workshops as part of the national tourism strategy development process. This assessment was combined with a desk analysis of data available online of each potential destination around the following areas.
| Existing Tourism Offerings | Sufficient Infrastructure | Human Resources | Tourism Assets | Underserved Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Products | Access | Workforce Skill Levels | Natural Attractions | Regional Development Index |
| Services | Transport | Training Localities | Cultural Attractions | Regional Efficiency |
| Experiences | Lodging | Opportunities to Expand Employment | Poverty Rate |
Based on this analysis, Visit Tunisia will support the following destinations in the first few years. Additional destinations may be considered for destination development support in subsequent years of the project.
Tabarka
Kairouan
Tozeur/Nafta
Douz
Tataouine
Gabes/Matmata
Working at the International Level
