Some 150 culinary entrepreneurs from all regions of Tunisia have benefited from training and personalised support to create creative culinary experiences, as part of the Culinary Route of Tunisia project, the GIZ said on Thursday.
The "Culinary Route of Tunisia" project, launched in November 2022, highlights six flagship products across six regions, namely cheese from the North-West, Harissa from Cap Bon, olive oil from the Centre and Dahar, wine from the North, dates from the South-West and octopus from Kerkennah. It results from collaboration between various national and international institutions (GIZ, Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, ONTT, Tunisian Association of Culinary Arts Professionals, General Directorate of Organic Agriculture, Tunisian Federation of Tourist Restaurants, etc.). Its aim is to turn Tunisia's culinary heritage into creative experiences that can attract a wide range of tourist profiles, all year round and throughout the country.
Culinary culture is a vector for tourism and economic growth. Specialists in tourism, culture and gastronomy have classified it as an essential element of the tourist experience, accounting for an increasingly large share of tourist spending (UNWTO Global Report on Food Tourism).
This project is being implemented by the NGO "Creative Tourism Network" in partnership with the "Promotion of Sustainable Tourism" project implemented by the Ministry of Tourism with the support of GIZ and jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union as part of its "Tounes Wijhatouna" programme.
As part of this initiative, around one hundred visits were made throughout Tunisia. These visits highlighted the wide range of local players involved in the Culinary Route: farmers, associations and Agricultural Development Groups (GDAs), guest houses and tables d'hôtes, young entrepreneurs, craftsmen and travel agents.
During these visits, the project promoters were able to test and enhance their offers, putting them into perspective with the new demands of national and international travellers, looking for authenticity and human values through a year-round tourism offer.
The next steps will be to create sales sheets for each of the experiences created and to promote them internationally, to position these offers and Tunisia as a whole in these booming, virtuous markets.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse