FITUR presents the Culinary Road of Tunisia: a creative tourism offer designed to appeal to new travelers in search of authentic experiences!

The Culinary Route of Tunisia was presented this Tuesday, January 18, at Fitur, the Madrid Tourism Fair.

À the event, inaugurated by Mrs Fatma Omrani Chargui, Tunisian Ambassador to Spain, and Ms Mouna Ghliss, Director General of International Cooperation at Tunisia’s Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, also took part in the event. Ms Leila Tekaia, Director of the Tunisian Tourist Office in Spain, and Ms Katrin Gerhard, Head of the Sustainable Tourism Promotion Component of the German cooperation agency GIZ*.

The Culinary Route is the new tourism offering launched by the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts in partnership with GIZ, a co-creative tourism offer that invites travelers to discover Tunisia’s culinary heritage through creative experiences based on six flagship products: “North-West Cheese”, “Cap Bon Harissa”, “Centre and Dahar Olive Oil”, “North Wine”, “South-West Dates” and “Kerkennah Octopus”. “These were chosen in consultation with a working group made up of representatives of the various trades involved in the theme: the Ministry of Tourism, the ONTT, the Tunisian Association of Culinary Art Professionals, the General Directorate of Organic Agriculture and the Tunisian Federation of Tourist Restaurants.

Tunisia has everything it takes to seduce travelers in search of authentic, human cultural experiences. As Ms. Mouna Ghliss pointed out , the Culinary Route is in line with the Ministry’s strategy and vision of diversifying its offer and its outbound markets, in order to attract new tourist profiles.

The Ambassador congratulated the initiative and expressed her support for this tourism project, which conveys Tunisian values and cultural richness.

The aim of the Culinary Route is to promote the diversity of Tunisia’s culinary heritage in all its forms, through tourism that meets the criteria of quality and authenticity.

This route will offer tourists the chance to discover the country through its flagship products, inviting them to explore an ancestral culinary heritage that combines immersion and taste experience.

In addition to promoting new tourist attractions, the Culinary Route also offers a virtuous tourism model, satisfying a large number ofSustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030, in particular with regard to the respect for natural, economic and social ecosystems, by transforming culinary know-how into new drivers of attractiveness and inclusion for local areas.

Indeed, one of the added values of this project lies in its participative and inclusive approach, inviting local players in the agricultural, cultural and tourism sectors of the regions concerned to benefit from training delivered by international experts, as well as support right through to marketing on emerging markets.

New opportunities that the travel agents and tour operators present, for whom “The Culinary Route opens up an infinite number of possibilities in terms of diversification, deseasonalization and geographical distribution, as well as positioning Tunisia as an authentic cultural destination.

The Culinary Route is intended as a lever for circular and sustainable economic development, notably through job creation, simply by optimizing existing resources, whethernatural, cultural or human.

Harissa is one example. Recognized as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO last December, it will be at the heart of the experiences designed by professionals from the Cap Bon region as part of the program. Tourists will be able to discover not only the flavours, but also the know-how, by taking part in the production themselves. A model that will be adapted to the 6 culinary regions defined above.

Through a range of experiences designed for the most diverse audiences – from the adventurous traveler, to premium tourism, to MICE, the Culinary Route will offer a differentiating element that will position Tunisia among the most sought-after Mediterranean destinations for quality, off-season tourism.

The project was presented by Caroline Couret, director of the Creative Tourism Network – – Creative Tourism Network(R) the organization responsible for implementing the Culinary Route.