Tunisia's Tourism Sector Struggles with Outdated Regulatory Framework
The Tunisian tourism industry is suffering from a regulatory framework that is deemed inadequate for the global industry's mutations. According to a study presented by consultant Ahmed Zarrouk at the Tunisia Economic Forum held on September 18 at the IACE, the current legislation is largely inherited from the post-independence era and still prioritizes a model centered on mass beach tourism.
Obstacles to Development
This uniform approach has generated several structural obstacles, including:
- A marked administrative rigidity, with identical procedures for all establishments, regardless of their size or specialization
- A normative fragmentation, with shared competencies between several ministries, which slows down investment and discourages innovation
- The lack of integration of technological mutations, such as the rise of the internet and booking platforms, into the legal framework
- A current regulation that prioritizes technical control of infrastructure to the detriment of a global and strategic vision of tourism development
Consequences
As a result, the sector remains fragile due to:
- Legal uncertainty
- Unfair competition between traditional and collaborative accommodations
- Lack of visibility for investors
Proposed Solutions
Among the proposed solutions are:
- The need for administrative modernization, through the digitization of procedures and the reduction of deadlines, as well as the establishment of a single integrated window for authorizations
- A national mapping of regional potentials, to guide investments towards promising segments, while ensuring sustainability, digitalization, and alignment with international standards
Intersectoral Coordination
Finally, the consultant emphasized the urgency of better intersectoral coordination. Tourism is impacted by regulations from agriculture, environment, or culture, often contradictory. The creation of a permanent interministerial committee, supported by a legal observatory of tourism, is among the proposed solutions to harmonize texts and ensure comparative international monitoring.
