Tunisia tourism revenue up 10 pct in Jan-Oct
Rich program celebrating Kairouan as 2009 capital of Islamic culture, announced
March 1st, 2009 Tunis, February 28, 2009-
During a press conference given in Tunis on Saturday, the Minister of culture and heritage preservation, Mr Abderraouf El Basti, said that a rich program has been set up to celebrate the advent of Kairouan as the 2009 capital of Islamic culture. Mr El Basti evoked the ...
TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's tourism revenue reached 2.90 billion dinars for the January-October period this year, up from 2.63 billion a year earlier, government figures showed on Monday.
The sector is the country's key foreign currency earner and its biggest employer after the labour-intensive agriculture sector.
The number of tourists visiting the country over the period grew by 3.4 percent to 6.28 million.
The government expects tourism revenue to rise 8 percent this year from last year's record figure of 3.0 billion dinars.
Tunisia, a destination for all seasons writes French tourism daily”,
Tunis, September 17, 2008-
Tunisia has comforted its place as the favorite destination of French tourists, writes the French tourism daily, “Le Quotidien du Tourisme” in an article dated September 16,2008, entitled “Tunisia, a destination for the four seasons.”
Falconry Festival"in Al-Haouaria (Tunisia).
The picturesque sea side town of El Haouaria , located in Tunisia's green Cap Bon region, also known by its Roman name as 'Aqualaria' , the country of the eagle, is holding the 42 nd edition of its falconry festival.
The festival which will take place from June 12 to 15th , 2008 , attracts each year, foreign visitors, as well as Tunisians who gather to watch the dramatic hunting scenes, and high- flying competitions which make up the event
Transmitted from father to son, the art of falconry, rests on the training of two species of birds, the sparrow hawk for hunting quails and the pilgrim falcon for hunting partridges
The sparrow hawk is captured in the forests of El Haouaria thanks to two sorts of nets, whereas the pilgrim falcon is caught (in limited numbers) in the nest, and is destined to be trained. More than two hundred bird breeders take part in the event, competing for the best hunting prize. In the word of the director of the festival, Mr Chedli Jelidi, "the aim of the festival is to preserve the art of falconry in El Haouaria so as to develop tourism". The festival also offers a spate of cultural events such as music shows, sea excursions, and visit of Roman grottos, for which the town is famous. At least two colloquia will be held respectively on "the adverse effect of climate change on migrating birds" and "the practice of natural medicine and biotechnology in El Haouaria"
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Tunisian tourist day at Zaragoza Universal Exhibition
TUNIS, August 27, 2008 (TAP)
Tourism minister Khelil Lajimi is paying, as of Tuesday, a working visit to Spain, as part of the Tunisian tourism day, held on the fringes of the Zaragoza Universal Exhibition on the keynote " Water and Sustainable Development.
Tunisian Architecture
TUNIS, August 3, 2008 alarabonline
Most Hammams in Tunisia embrace identical structural elements and décor
Some Hammams also apply earthenware on their roofs for its known properties
to protect walls from saturation, cracks and abrasion. It is also soft to touch and does not hurt human bodies.
* The Read More
World Museum Day:
National plan pertaining to the development of 30 historical monuments and archaeological sites
TUNIS, May 18, 2008 (TAP)
“ The Museum as a Window of Economic and Social Development”.–Like all countries of the world, Tunisia celebrates, on Sunday, May 18, 2008, the World Museum Day, placed this year on the theme “ The Museum as a Window of Economic and Social Development”.
On this occasion, Tunisia's museums open their doors to the public for free to allow the largest number of visitors to get acquainted with Tunisia's civilisations.
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Davos Economic Forum ranks Tunisian tourism 39th at world level
TUNIS, April 7, 2008 (TAP)
The World Davos Economic Forum has just published its report on the competitiveness of tourist trade in the world and has ranked Tunisia 39th out of a total of 130 countries.
Tunisia is the second Arab state (behind Qatar), clearly distinguishing itself from its main rivals, namely Turkey, Egypt and Morocco which rank 54th, 66th and 67th respectively.
Tunisia stands out notably through the sustainable development of its tourism and travel industry (4th), its visa policy (12th), the transparency of government policies (13rs), the privatisation in tourism and travel industry (7th) and the hotel price index (10th).
On top of rankings among the 130 countries are Switzerland, Austria, , Germany, Australia and Spain.
Tunisia's beautiful beaches and historical treasures attract millions of tourists from all over the world. Nearly 5 million tourists visited Tunisia in 1999.In 2004 they reached more than 6 million. American and most European tourists do not require visas to enter Tunisia. There are more than 722 hotels in the country, totaling 191.955 beds. Seven international airports, and eight passenger ports connect Tunisia to the United States and Europe. The capital city, Tunis, is a two-hour flight from Paris and London and a fifty- minute flight from Rome. Daily flights connect Tunisia to virtually all European, African and Middle Eastern destinations.
MEDITERRANEAN COAST
Visitors sunbathe, dive, sail, and fish along the vast stretches of glistening, white sandy Mediterranean beaches covering a 810- mile coast. Beach resorts include Tabarka, Hammamet, Sousse and Jerba.
El-Kantaoui's 27-hole golf course and Andalusian style marina is a fully-integrated tourism complex.Tunisia's Saharan tourism attractions includes an international golf course situated under Tozeur's lush palm groves as well as many desert festivals.
The perched village of Sidi Bou Said offers a unique scenery of domes, arched doors and balconies in blue and white set against a sparkling sea.
SAHARA
The great Tunisian south is home to lush oases and great Saharan landscapes . A special attraction is the unusual Matmata where the ground is pockmarked with craters (and where incidentally the Star Wars movie was filmed). Chott El Jerid, 2,000 sq. miles salt-flats as big as Kansas, offers mirages and sand-yachting activities. Playing golf in the middle of the desert is no longer a dream with the launch of the Tozeur international golf course in 2006.
JERBA
Jerba, the 200 sq. mile island down south, with its year-round sunshine, simple and relaxed lifestyle, is a favorite international destination. Jerba is the site of the"Ghriba," one of the world's oldest Jewish shrines.
SPECIAL INTERESTS
Special interest attractions include bird watching, underwater fishing, hiking, and horse-back riding.
Eight golf courses offer quality greens around the country. A casino chain will soon be launched in four major resort areas. One is already operational in Hammamet. Convention facilities are available. Hunting is allowed for specific seasons in some areas of the country.
Health and tourism accommodations are available for tourists with special medical needs.
FESTIVALS
There are numerous international film, arts, and historical festivals, such as the Festivals of Carthage and Hammamet, the Andalusian Music Festival of Testour, and the Sahara Festival in Douz. Artifacts of various historical eras are exhibited in museums around the country.
Excerpt from "Under the Tunisian Sun"
By MARY-JANE DEEB Published: November 19, 2006 (New York Times)
The crowd that gathers at El Firma, a 1920's colonial farmhouse-turned-restaurant on a desolate stretch of land outside Tunis, is as sexy and stylish as any in the world. The work of two young Tunisian brothers, Sadri and Iyed Tej — one trained in Nice, the other at the legendary Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon — and a Tunisian designer, Mona Mechri, El Firma is an incredibly beautiful place: antique cushioned chairs reupholstered in fuschia and furs play off the rough, warm texture of old stone walls; in the long, narrow dining room, a large plate-glass window frames a tumult of vegetation outside, lighted from below. 
On a soft night recently, when the seating moved out into the large, open courtyard, I found young Tunisian fashionistas just home from Paris or Rome sitting on sofas backed by elaborate antique headboards while their mothers (even more stylish) remained at tables deep in conversation in a jumble of languages. Above it all, a canopy of sheer curtains billowed sensuously in the soothing breezes of the North African night.
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Traveling Links
For more information about travelling to Tunisia nad Tourism, please visit the following sites:
The Tunisian National Tourism Office
Carthage Tours - Travel Agency
Nouvelair - Flights to Tunisia
Marhaba Hotels
Page Tunisie - Home of the Tunisie Expatriate
Tunisia.com - The complete guide to Tunisia, from holiday information to local culture and business. If your planning a tunisian holiday or looking for a Tunisian hotel we are here to help.
TunisiaOnline.com - Your digital gateway to news and information resources on Tunisia, Tunisia's history, government, culture, environment, society, economy, tourism, investment, business, Tunisia Television Live Broadcast, Radio-Tunis Live Broadcast, Sports News, Newspapers online, La Presse, Essahafa, Le Temps, Assabah.
