The cycle of workshops and training courses recently delivered by the DMO Djerba – the organization responsible for managing and promoting the Djerba destination – to its various local players marks a new impetus in the island’s tourism development strategy. Djerba, which has long been synonymous with mass seaside tourism, now wishes to position itself on a sustainable tourism path that highlights its rich tangible and intangible heritage.
Handicrafts, cultural activities, multi-inspired gastronomy… Djerba’s offer is wide-ranging and it is now opening up to creative tourism in order to appeal to travelers in search of authentic experiences and human values. This new strategy, implemented by the Creative Tourism Network®, is part of the Tunisian Culinary Route project[1], which aims to convert Tunisia’s culinary heritage into creative experiences that can attract different tourist profiles, all year round and throughout the country.
Tunisia, and now Djerba in particular, have taken advantage of the lessons learned from the recent crises to reinvent themselves by reappropriating their heritage and ancestral know-how to convert them into poles of attractiveness capable of seducing new generations of travelers who prioritize sustainable and alternative tourism proposals.
Creative travelers – whether foodies, kid-friendly families, senior citizens, solo travelers (Women Travelers Communities), bleisure (Business+Leisure), staycation or any of the other latest tourism segments identified on the market – will find offers tailored to their expectations.
Following the phase of identifying and training players throughout Tunisia, the Creative Tourism Network® is now focusing on assisting the various project leaders in designing and promoting their experiences, linked to the flagship products of the Culinary Route (cheese, wine, harissa, olives, octopus and dates). Obtaining the network’s label will not only ensure that they meet the new demands of tourists, but also create a value chain that benefits local populations in terms of training, job creation and preservation of intangible heritage.
The Culinary Route relies on the participation of professionals from a wide range of sectors (agriculture, crafts, tourism, hotels, catering, community associations, etc.). Djerba has already replicated this federative and inclusive spirit on its own scale, with the creation of an ecosystem of partners supported by the DMO and the Centre de Fomation aux métiers du tourisme, determined to position the Tunisian island as a benchmark international destination for its gastronomic heritage.
[1] *The Culinary Route of Tunisia is developed within the project “Promotion of Sustainable Tourism” implemented by the Ministry of Tourism with the support of the GIZ and financed jointly by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union under its program “Tounes Wijhetouna”.
