Tunisian hotel industry – The most prestigious hotel chains in the world are settling in Tunisia, one after the other, with their standards, know how and concepts. They are called “Four Seasons & Resort”, “Mövenpick”, “Radisson”, “Golden Tulip”, “Anantara”, “Marriott”, “La Cigale” … .. A refreshing and invigorating breeze blows on the destination and shapes the again the face of a destination that is being rebuilt. Moez Kacem (www.tourism-view.com)
“To cook well you need good ingredients, a palate, a heart and friends”. This quote from Pierre Perret is still relevant for good gastronomy but is also perfectly adapted to tourism. To develop a prosperous tourism, it is necessary to have a segmented, diversified and quality hotel, a mode of reactive and lucid governance, national and international partners able to value the tourist products and finally an army of passionate and well trained employees to the trades tourism.
The presence of international hotel chains brings an indisputable added value to the sector. Thus, the challenge of promoting and highlighting our destination, or certain regions, in a structured and targeted manner is crucial. International hotel chains are likely to consolidate the efforts of the state and its institutions to promote the destination. This is done through the thousands of catalogs and newsletters dispatched to their customers in the four corners of the world. Their expertise in communication, their power in terms of sales force and their gigantic networking, are strong points from which one benefits indirectly.
Since last year (and it is expected that this will spread over the next 5 years), the establishment of international hotel chains (or the strengthening of their presence) is in the news and opens a window of hope for professionals and graduates of the sector. However, we must not neglect the Tunisian chains that work to restore the brilliance of the hotel industry and have played, for decades, a role accelerating tourism development in Tunisia.
Among the advantages derived from the presence of major international hotel chains in Tunisia, we can also mention the improvement of the index of confidence of foreign investors. Alongside several other fundamental indicators (economic, financial, fiscal and accessibility), the presence of the good students of the global hotel industry sends a reassuring signal to invest in the sector. Operating mainly in business tourism and based primarily in the capital and in major cities, these hotels help to restore the image of a sector tired by an acute economic crisis.
In 2017, business tourism accounted for 41% of tourism activity in Tunisia (WTTC Report 2018). An activity that is being developed and perpetuated with the rise of the hotel industry, on the one hand, and the increasing demand for medical tourism, which makes use of the same hotel infrastructures, on the other hand.
Besides the tourism sector, real estate can also pump a breath of fresh air from the establishment of these foreign channels. This sector is able to reinvent itself to diversify its target markets and reduce unsold products. Today, and we can clearly see it on the market, the most active promoters who have managed to cushion the impact of the crisis are those who have signed partnerships with foreign hotel groups and who believe in the proven potential of the Tunisian Tourist sector .
Overall, the arrival of new hotel chains and the strengthening of the presence for those already installed for several years, can only be a stimulating factor for the country’s tourism development. The synergy with the national chains makes it possible, among other things, to improve the quality of services and personnel
Tunisian hotel industry – What the Pros think
Mehdi Allani and Houssem Ben Azzouz assess the beginning of the impact of international hotel chains on the destination
Tunisian hotel industry – Mehdi Allani: “Not without the Open sky! “
Mehdi Allani, CEO of the Hotel Sentido Le Sultan, Regional President of the Hotel Cap Bon and member of the Executive Board of the Tunisian Federation of Hotels (FTH) welcomes the turning point.
“I think these are the beginnings of a turning point that begins to take the Tunisian hotel industry. For this turn to be successful, the Open Sky is an indispensable lever. The Accor Hotels North Africa Development Director had made it clear that the Accor Group did not plan to develop beach hotels in Tunisia without Open Sky. Certain fact today, Tunisia is catching up in the high-end hotel business. Another observation, these luxury and prestigious hotels are a great success and reassure future investors. Today, the hotel business will split into two groups. Those who invest in quality and who demand respectable selling prices and those who continue to dig the chasm into which they are already relying solely on the selling off.
Houssem Ben Azzouz: “It’s the Destination Tunisia that wins”
Houssem Ben Azzouz, travel agent and President of the Interprofessional Federation of Tunisian Tourism (FI2T) focuses on international confidence.
“Absolutely. The trend is there and pulls the product up. The growing number of global chains that are setting up in Tunisia are putting international customers at ease. At the local level, this creates a healthy competition that boosts performance. Anyway, it is the destination Tunisia that wins! “
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