The president of the Tourism Committee at the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, Mohamed Yahyaoui, believes that the proposed budget for the sector in 2027 does not reflect its weight in terms of revenue and employment. The funds allocated to the Tourism and Craft Mission reach 176.8 million dinars, up 9.3% from 2026.
Preparations for the status of Arab Tourism Capital
In an exclusive statement to Tunisie Numérique, Mohamed Yahyaoui indicated that several dossiers had been addressed during the joint session on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 dedicated to the hearing of the Minister of Tourism.
He recalled that Tunisia will be the Arab Tourism Capital in 2027 and stressed the need to properly prepare for this milestone, particularly regarding cleanliness. The deputy called for coordinating efforts at the ministerial level, as several departments are involved in organizing this event.
Terms of reference and projects blocked
The deputies discussed the terms of reference relating to rural and urban accommodations. According to Yahyaoui, these texts are still with the Presidency of the Government and have not been approved for several years.
The debate centers in particular on Decree No. 191, which regulated these accommodations and required an area of up to 20 hectares. The deputy believes that this condition does not correspond to the possibilities of young promoters wishing to develop tourism projects on smaller plots.
Yahyaoui also cited urban development plans among the obstacles to certain projects. In Tabarka, projects presented about two years ago, valued at more than 500 million dinars, would still be blocked. He pointed to the absence of revision of the terms of reference for the tourist zone, which imposes, in his view, a maximum height of two floors.
Tourist zones and a digital school under study
Among the projects mentioned is the new Zaouaraa tourist zone in the Beja Governorate. The dossier would be nearly ready and would still await approval by the Ministry of Equipment of the detailed plan.
In Oued Hlal, in the Ain Draham delegation, a tourist zone project would extend over 52 hectares. Steps are underway to address certain land issues. Another tourist zone is envisaged at Salakta, in the Mahdia Governorate, where the land situation also needs to be regularized.
A pilot tourism school with a digital vocation is also to be built in Ain Draham thanks to a French grant of 22 million dinars. Yahyaoui indicated that final approval for the land had been obtained and that works could begin at the start of 2027.
Saharan tourism, closed hotels and marinas
According to the deputy, the minister announced the ongoing creation of a platform dedicated to Saharan tourism. Visitors could register there upon entering the desert, a measure presented as likely to help resolve some of the sector’s difficulties.
Regarding the closed hotels, the minister would have indicated that 12 establishments had been sold and that some investors had shown interest in buying hotels.
In the El Kantaoui tourism zone, the minister reportedly pledged to continue interventions to improve infrastructures and to revise the concessions. A decree on the leasing of marinas should also be published in the coming days to ensure their proper operation by the ministry.
Diversify markets and prevent outages
Yahyaoui spoke of a gradual recovery of the European market and noted that the number of British tourists reached around 600,000 last year. The deputies urged intensifying efforts on Asian markets, notably Chinese, and to study possibilities of attracting more tourists from Gulf countries, in the context of the Middle East crisis.
Power and water outages that occurred in 2026 were also discussed. According to the deputy, the lawmakers asked that hotel preparedness be monitored so that they have, at their own expense, replacement electricity solutions, such as solar energy and generators. Outages had affected guests in some hotels in the governorates of Nabeul and Sousse. The deputies urged proactive measures to prevent the situation from recurring in 2027.
