Pleasure tourism is a much more important economic activity than people think, since a person who has a pleasure boat or a yacht spends the equivalent of what a dozen tourists consume. But, unfortunately, our sea is most often empty of boats which have made the good days of this sector.
There is no doubt that pleasure tourism is a product in its own right attracting a luxury clientele and considerable foreign exchange earnings, given that a foreign yachtsman spends 20 times more than a seaside tourist. But, unfortunately, this sector constitutes, today, the poor relation of Tunisian tourism and it is more than ever time to develop it through a strategy which should be articulated around the improvement of the reception capacity of the ports. boating, the quality of services offered to boaters, promotional actions that will highlight the assets of the Tunisia site, appropriate regulations… It is with this observation very much in mind that the Tunisian Smart Association Cities (TSC), on the basis of elements collected by the Ministry of Tourism, has proposed the establishment of a national strategy aimed at developing the yachting sector in our country.
Organize and act
In a statement given to the newspaper The Pressas part of the 30th edition of the Mediterranean regatta “La Route du Jasmin”, held from 1is on August 15, 2022 between Tunisia, France and Italy, the president of TSC, Borhene Dhaoudi, indicated that after a series of successive crises which have damaged this sector, now we must organize and act to enhance our 1,300 km of coastline, diversify the tourist product focused so far on the seaside, strengthen Tunisia’s share in this market and attract a high-end clientele.
“It is a reality that cannot be denied. Today, yachting is an attractive element allowing wider tourist benefits. It is, therefore, more than ever time to give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to urgently develop super yachting, a sector which, unfortunately, is slowly gaining momentum in Tunisia… Admittedly, the path is not not always marked out, but the main thing is to keep moving, to fight and to believe in our ability to become masters in our own house and to stand up to meet these challenges for a better tomorrow. This is still true with a maritime infrastructure conducive to the development of this sector, given that Tunisian ports remain attractive to both yachtsmen and cruise passengers for several reasons; first, there is the saturation of Mediterranean ports and then preferential prices applied in our country which are really more advantageous”he pointed out.
Tunisia wants its share of the market
Mr. Dhaouadi added that after this health crisis linked to Covid-19 and its economic and social consequences, it is now necessary to redesign this sector where various aspects are almost all priorities, such as regulation, the reduction the taxation of pleasure boats and taxation, the revision of the maritime code promulgated in 2011, the establishment of an incentive system, the mobilization of appropriate funding, the reduction of formalities, whether dealing with the investigation of acquisition of a pleasure boat, arrival-departure procedures… There is also the important aspect of training in the various nautical trades.
“It’s a site that hides another. But we did not sit idly by. Within the TSC association, the broad outlines of a national strategy for the development of this sector have been prepared, given that according to the figures announced, out of a total of almost 300,000 pleasure boats plying the seas and oceans, each year, throughout the world, Tunisia welcomes only 1%, or even less, the equivalent of 2,500 to 3,000 boats per year. Our objective is to strengthen Tunisia’s share in this market to reach 5% within 10 years. In addition, after the extension of the marinas of Bizerte, the overall capacity increased from 2,100 to nearly 2,800 rings including 800 in Bizerte, 750 in Yasmine Hammamet, 300 in El Kantaoui, 380 in Sidi Bou Said, 400 in Monastir and 100 in Tabarka…
It is for all these reasons that we must move now, because in the current state of things, yachting is dying in the face of bad decisions and the indifference of those responsible, while with more than 1,300 km of coastline, our country could become a pleasure destination par excellence”he further explained.