Why you should visit Tunisia
Others include the governments increasing interests in developing the tourism sector as a major source of income for the nation. This has led to increased load infrastructure such as roads, airports, accommodation and reliable tour guide services (Hosni, 2000). Still, traveling to the land from nations like America, Canada and European community among other states does not require the possession of a travel visa (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). This serves as an encouragement as it eliminates the procedural processes involved in accessing legal authority for visiting Tunisia. Therefore, with its variety of historical sites, unique cultural identity and reliable infrastructure for facilitating tourist activities, Tunisia is no doubt a place one will enjoy visiting.
Tourism attractions in Tunisia
There are a number of cultural and historical site tourist attractions in Tunisia. Though Tunisia is mostly recognized for its beach resort holidays, the nation has various historical sites of tourist importance (Curtis, 1996). There are archeological remains of the Carthage, which signify the city during the Phoenician and Punic times, way back in 6th century BC. According to historians, this city was the center of the once powerful empire that spanned across the entire south Mediterranean (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). Still evident in the Carthage city is the many archeological remains of the Roman Empire which replaced the Phoenician and Punic and reconstructed the city. The remains of the Roman Empire are also found in other regions like the El Jem which has been established as one of the Tunisian UNESCO world heritage site (Hosni, 20000.
Touring in the Saharan desert is fun. According to tour analysts, Tunisia boosts some of the most accessible and quite beautiful desert scenery in the Saharan region. Of great importance is the scenery at the village of Matmata (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). This village has the troglodyte dwellings which have been thought as being a set for the young Luke Skywalkers home of Totooine. To the central western area of the desert is beautiful Saharan dune scenery (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). Also found in the desert is the Jugurthas table, a large mesa found to the northeast region. The table has a moon-like surface coupled with deep crevasses and is mainly accessed from El Kef town (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). Traditionally playing golf in the desert is no longer a dream owing to the opening of the international golf course in 2006, but it is nevertheless a fun tourist engagement. Indeed, Saharan desert golf has remained to be a leading source of tourist attraction in the nation.
Jerba is another interesting tourist site. This island covers 200 sq. mile to the south experiences sunshine all year round (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). This makes it a good site for sun seekers as it gives a simple and relaxed lifestyle. Another special feature in this island is that it houses the Ghriba, one of the oldest Jewish shrines in the world (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). Ancient architecture arts of the Arab-Islamic community are a major attraction to tourists. Such architecture includes the Great Mosque of Kairouan, the Moslem Worlds fourth holiest city and a major site for Islamic pilgrimage, and the Great Mosque of Ezzitouna, at the center of the old city of Tunis (Curtis, 1996).
Beach resort tourist is the most common kind of tourism activity in Tunisia and is mainly predominant along the Mediterranean coast (Curtis, 1996). The main activities include sunbathing, diving, sailing and fishing along the big stretches of the white Mediterranean beaches. Major beach resorts are Jerba, Tabarka, Sousse, and Hammamet. Still on the Mediterranean coast the presence of the El-Kantaouis 27-hole golf course tourism complex which is a leading reason for increased sports tourism in the nation (Curtis, 1996). Another unique feature in the Mediterranean cost is the perched village of Sidi Bou Said (Curtis, 1996). This village gives a unique scenery of domes, blue and white balconies and arched doors sparkling against the sea.
Cultural tourism is another common form of tourist attraction in Tunisia. The country has been under the leadership of many empires from Phoenician and Punic, to Roman, to French. According to historian all of these empires have left a significant cultural influence in the nation (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). As examples are the treasure the people give to the historical sites associated with the Jews, Romans and the Phoenician and Punic. On the influence of the French is their language, the official languages in Tunisia are Arabic and French languages. Health tourism is also practices particularly from North America and European nations (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002).
Transport services and infrastructure
Transport is quite reliable in the Tunisian nation. To get into Tunisia, one can either use plane or a bout. Tunis-Carthage International Airport located near Tunis is the main international airport for scheduled flights (Infoplease, 2005). The airport is well connected to the center of Tunis by taxis and bus. Though taxis are ready available, their being expensive prompts many to use the bus which comes roughly after every half-hour. Another useful international airport is the Habib Bourguiba, Skanes-Monastir (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). This is termed as the cheapest chartered plane airport but only serves flights from the United Kingdom through the Thomas Cook airlines. It has been claimed that by May 2010 tourists will be able to use Jet2.com to land in Monastir.
Thought Habib Bourguiba, Skanes-Monastir and Tunis-Carthage International Airport are the major international airports for chartered planes, there are other many airports which serve both national and international flights. Such include Sfax Thyna airport in Central East Tunisia, Tabarka November 7th 1987 located to the North West Tunisia, Djerba International Airport in Djerba Island in South East Tunisia, and Tozeur Nefta Intl Airport near Tozeur which gives a direct connection to South West Tunisia (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). Ferries can also be used for transport into Tunisia. Tunisian ferry services links include Tunis to Malta, Trapani, Naples, Genoa, and Marseille.
While contacting tourists activities in Tunisia, are a variety of transport modes to chose from. First, one can use plane services which are mainly offered by the domestic airline of Tunis, SevenAir. The planes provide services to Tunis, Tozeur, Djerba, Gabes, Malta and Bizerte. Unlike what some people might claim, taxi transport is usually reasonably fair provided you engage in price agreement prior to the service (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). For example, the cost of taxi transport from Tunis to Hammamet is estimated to be 40 euros.
Road transport is quite effective in Tunisia particularly on the highways (InfoPlease, 2008). This is because they are structured with a dual carriageway. The allowable speed limit in Tunisian highways is usually 110kmhr and roads are usually written in Arabic andor French. Just to be appreciated is the fact that there are three major dual carriageway highways in Tunisia namely A-1 connecting Tunis south to Sfax, A-2 linking Tunis north to Bizerte and A-3 which runs from Tunis west towards Oued Zarga. Other highways are single carriageway marked with roundabouts and speed limits of about 75kmhr (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). It has also been established that road signs and lane markings in Tunisia are seen as theoretical unlike in other countries were violation of such is regarded a serious crime.
For road transport, one car use cars when linking between short distances andor for increased privacy. Louages, a form of shared taxis are also common particularly in areas were there is no train or bus. The advantage of using this type of cars is that they operate on fixed prices (Infoplease, 2008).
However, they are not timed as they rely on capacity typically eight passengers per car. Bus transport is found to be most suitable for transport between major cities due to its being economical and safe. Trains are also effective and reliable and comfort with three classes. A good thing with train transport is that one can purchase a blue card whose value is low and lasts for one week. This benefit is strengthened by the fact that one can use the card in any train, thus using short distance trains can serves a person to tour many areas of interest (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002).
Accommodation, traditional foods and hospitality
Accommodation services facilities in Tunisia include hotels and apartments. It has been established that some Tunisians usually offer their private apartments to tourists. Almost all tourist attraction sites are a huge number of tour resorts for rent (Hosni, 2000). However, during summer, the number of tourists is quite high making hotels to be fully booked. It is due to this reason that visits are usually advised to do hotel or apartment booking online or through a phone call prior to their visit .to Tunisia.
Tunisian foods are usually served with their traditional couscous and marqa stews. Another distinctive characteristic of Tunisian foods is that includes the use of chili sauce and tiny olives which is local found in plenty (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). A special type of snack goes by the name tajines. This is a form of omelette-like pie usually prepared using with a mixture of meat ragout and vegetables in which herbs, legumes and offal are added before enriching it with eggs and cheese and then baked in a deep pie dish. The most common form of meat is lamb meat but other local seafood is in plenty.
Tunisia is predominantly an Islamic country. Therefore, the availability of alcohol is quite restricted only to some licensed restaurants and resort areas (Hosni, 2000). Still, to be noted is that large department stores and supermarkets are allowed to sell beer, wine and imported hard liquor except during the Muslim holiday periods. Just to be appreciated here is the fact that some resorts refuse to accept female tourists so it could be a good idea to confirm with the resort management before checking in. some famous drinks in Tunisia include Celtia which is a popular local alcoholic beer, celestia a local non-alcoholic beer and the Tunisian wine. Tea and coffee are common and usually served in a traditional way (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002).
Some tips to make your visit to Tunisia fruitful
Tunisian population is made up of 98 percent Muslims (Hosni, 2000). This means that dressing code is quite important particularly for women. This is mainly dictated when one is not at the beach or in hotel complexes. Also, available statistics clearly show that the residents of the south most regions of the Tunisian nation are more conservative. This is why tourist visiting the nation should be warned of the dressing codes when visiting such regions. Talking about local politics by visits is quite discouraged particularly in public places. Therefore, it is advisable that one avoids discussing politics with people they do not know.
Conclusion
It has been established that Tunisia is a major destination of beach resort tourism (Curtis, 1996). However, other forms of tourism attraction are quite common such as historical and archeological finding of the Phoenician and Punic and Roman empires in the nation. Others include Jerba as interesting tourist site (The Tunisian National Tourism Office, 2002). This island covers 200 sq. mile to the south experiences sunshine all year round. This makes it a good site for sun seekers as it gives a simple and relaxed lifestyle. Another special feature in this island is that it houses the Ghriba, one of the oldest Jewish shrines in the world.
Tourism in Tunisia is highly promoted by the governments efforts to improve the sector since 1987 (Hosni, 2000). Such involvements have seen the expansion of the transport linking all tourist attraction regions. Over the years also, the tourism sector has seen remarkable growth hotels and resorts, a move which encourages more visitors. Environment conservation have been given top priority by the government not only fort improving the lives of the citizens but also encouraging tourism. Therefore, Tunisia is no doubt a country one should visit for a memorable experience.
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