Tunis/Tunisia — Minister of Tourism Moez Belhassine called, during a visit to Djerba, on tourism professionals in the tourist area of the island and of Zarzis to set up the Djerba charter for sustainable and responsible tourism as a kind of pact between the various stakeholders in the sector committing each party to assume its responsibility to ensure the success of the tourist season on all levels.

At the end of a regional council of tourism in Djerba, the minister told reporters the objective set for 2023 is the recovery of tourist activity in order to reach a rate of 80 per cent of the results achieved in 2019, especially since during the first quarter the figures have exceeded those of 2019 in terms of tourist receipts which registered an improvement of 66 % compared to the same period of 2022 and 13 % compared to the same period of 2019.

In this respect, he specified that the continuity of this momentum requires, in particular, combining the efforts of all and improving the tourist offer so that the year would be promising for this vital sector of the national economy, he said.

The minister also stressed the importance of bringing to a successful end the pilot experience of "Djerba, an island without plastic" so that it may be a model for other regions. He added that "Djerba without plastic is a necessity and not a choice" in order to preserve its environment and the quality of its living environment.

The visit was also an opportunity for the minister to learn about the preparations for the annual Jewish pilgrimage to El Ghriba scheduled for May 4 to 9, 2023 and the progress of the development of the medina in Midoun, a project whose second installment is funded by the Ministry of Tourism.