USAID Visit Tunisia

• Client: United States Agency for International Development
• Partners: Chemonics International
• Project Duration: May 2021 - December 2023

Overview 
Tunisia has a wealth of natural and cultural resources, which range from desert to lush areas as well as millennia-old archaeological relics. Added to that is a beautiful stretch of a sandy Mediterranean coast, which is the major attraction for many tourists who opt for all-inclusive resort holidays. Yet, Tunisia remains an underrated destination, with substantial gaps in visitation between different regions, despite their great potential. A diversified, high quality alternative tourism sector would help grow the fragile local economy, which is facing even larger challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of today, high unemployment rates and regional socio-economic imbalances remain, especially for women and youth. To address these development challenges, Tunisia needs to increase investment and economic opportunities in underserved geographic areas, through expanding tourism products, experiences and spending, into these regions. Visit Tunisia was established to reconstruct Tunisia’s tourism sector through sustainable, innovative, and enterprise-driven solutions, with clear tangible objectives.

Visit Tunisia is a five year, $50 million activity designed to enhance the country’s alternative tourism potential, with the goal of generating revenue and jobs. Visit Tunisia has the objective of strengthening Tunisia’s competitiveness as a tourism destination, increasing tourism-related investments and improving the enabling environment for sustained growth in the tourism sector. Generating private sector-led growth and investment is highly prioritized, as well as the usage of technology and innovations in tourism businesses. This supports self-reliance of the local tourism industry and reduces the need for further development assistance. The goals of this project will be achieved by capitalizing on Tunisia’s rich natural, cultural, and historical attributes and developing various travel niches such as cultural, adventure, and nature-based tourism to create a year round destination. As a result, Tunisia would experience an increase in the number of tourists and private sector-led investment in the tourism sector. In turn, Tunisia’s economy would benefit from the rise in employment opportunities and revenue in the tourism sector.

Major Activities

• Develop a national strategic plan, a branding and positioning plan, and an action matrix for Tunisia’s alternative tourism sector, based on thorough research, analysis, and validation developed and agreed upon by public and private sector stakeholders
• Develop and promote tourism products, local businesses, events, and festivals in the interior regions of Tunisia, away from traditionally visited coastal destinations
• Engage the private sector to expand the offerings and quality of tourism services and related products leading to more sustainable and enterprise-driven outcomes
• Strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts and individual Tunisian travel industry organizations to accelerate the commercial growth of alternative tourism services and products to promote Tunisia as an alternative tourism destination; and to attract private sector investment through digital solutions, operating procedures, training, and stakeholder outreach
• Advance women’s and youth entrepreneurship, workforce development, and access to skills, as well as create an inclusive environment for women and youth to succeed economically
• Encourage and facilitate dialogue between the public and private sector as well as local communities throughout Tunisia to advance alternative tourism, with an emphasis on localities for which new tourism products and sites are developed

Anticipated Results

• Development of a comprehensive strategic plan that contains a branding and positioning plan, as well as an action matrix to lead project implementation
• A 20% increase in alternative tourism visitors and visitor spending, and commitments of at least $10 million worth of investments from the private sector two years after launch
• A 10% increase per year in the number of businesses and intermediaries that independently commercialize alternative tourism services and products to existing and new markets
• Assisted businesses and partner private sector organizations in the alternative tourism sector generate at least 10,000 jobs
• At least $20 million of commercial credit and investment capital mobilized for businesses and entrepreneurs in Tunisia’s alternative tourism industry, of which 50% are women
• Thousands of newly trained and certified trainers on Tunisian tourism and service-providers, including a significant percentage of women and youth