This report is the result of the project on Competition Assessment of Laws and Regulations in the Tunisian tourism sector. It was developed by the OECD in close co‑operation with the Delegation of the European Union to Tunisia, the Ministry of Tourism and Handicraft and the Competition Council.
Our thanks go to Marco Stella, Carl Daspect and Vladimir Rojanski from the Economic section of the EU Delegation in Tunis, and Mouna Mathlouthi Ghliss and Mohamed Charni from the International Co‑operation Department of the Ministry of Tourism and Handicraft for the good co‑operation, for providing support and contributing to the task of co‑ordinating a project of this complexity.
We are grateful to the Ministry of Tourism and to ONTT for their co‑operation, commitment and support throughout the project. In particular, the authors are thankful to Mohamed Moez Belhassine, Minister of Tourism and his team, especially Mehdi Bel Hadj Ali and Monia Layouni as well as Nizar Slimane, Head of ONTT and his team, especially Haroun Ouni, Saber Karoui, Ahlem Barbaria, Wissem Hmaidi, Wajdi Chouchene and Mohamed Ayari.
We are also grateful to Adnen Lassoued, Head of INS and his team, especially Mustapha Bouzaiene and Kaouther Chibani and to Ridha Ben Mahmoud, former President of the Competition Council and the whole team, especially Fathia Hammed, former Vice‑President, Mohamed Mnasser, Vice‑President and Mohamed Cheikhrouhou, Rapporteur Général for their valuable contribution.
In addition, we acknowledge the valuable input from government experts who participated in the project by providing information, advice and feedback throughout the project from the following departments of the involved ministries:
Ministry of Health: National Office of Thermalism and Hydrotherapy (ONTH)
Ministry of Transport: Land Transport Department and the Legal Affairs Directorate
Ministry of Cultural Affairs: International Co‑operation Department and the National Institute of Heritage (INP)
Presidency of the Government: General Authority for Public-Private Partnerships (IGPPP) and the General Secretariat of Maritime Affairs.
We would also like to thank the management, staff and members of the following trade associations for the informative exchange and for their valuable input though direct interviews as well as though the online survey:
Tunisian Federation of Travel Agencies (FTAV)
Interprofessional Federation of Tunisian Tourism (FI2T)
Tunisian Federation of Tourist Restaurants (FTRT)
National Syndicate for Tourist Transport
National Syndicate for Vehicle Rentals
Tunisian Federation of Licensed Tourism Guides
Association of Cruise Tourism Guides
Tunisian Federation of Underwater Activities and Aquatic Lifesaving (FAST)
National Chamber of Marina Managers
Consumer Defence Organisation (ODC).
The project team had productive meetings with international partners involved in tourism related projects and we would like to thank particularly the GIZ, Swiss Contact, USAID and Expertise France.
The opinions expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the above‑mentioned organisations or individuals.
The review was prepared by a team led by Saïd Kechida composed of Sophie Flaherty, Cristina Volpin, Yosuke Jin and Richard May, all from the OECD Competition Division under the strategic supervision of Ori Schwartz, Head of the OECD Competition Division. Federica Maiorano, also of the Competition Division, peer reviewed it and provided extensive and valuable comments. Special thanks go to the OECD experts who provided their input and offered useful comments and feedback. These include António Gomes, Deputy-Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs; Jane Stacy, Christopher Howard and Kristen Corrie from the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities – Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Tourism Division; Daniel Trnka from the Public Governance Directorate – Regulatory Policy Division; Fernando Mistura and Stephen Thomsen from the Investment Division. We would also like to thank Mehdi Ben Braham and Menna Mahmoud for their contribution.
The report was edited by Padraic Convery and prepared for publication by Liv Gudmundson and Erica Agostinho, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. Nasli Aouka of the Competition Division revised the French version.