沙漠研究 19-1, 355- 358 (2009 )Journal of Arid Land Studies“Desert Technology IX ”
Refereed Paper

Tunisian Case of Desert Valorisation for Promoter Enduring
Development of Competence
Hanane ABICHOU1, Mohamed LABIADH2, Nagwa ELNWISHY3
Abstract: The aim of this study is to identify through economic, social and cultural indicators,
the effects induced by a touristy activity development in the region of Tataouine (SouthernTunisian) in order to follow and measure the durability of this sector on this territory. Indeed,
the Saharan tourism, based essentially on the patrimonial resources, the handicraft and all
productions bound to the specific local resources exploitation, appears like a promoter sector
carrier of dynamics susceptible to be transmitted to the whole economy and could beconsidered like an anchorage favourable point to an enduring development. The actors, both inpublic and private sector, survey showed that 78% of Tataouine region entrepreneurs proved
their great satisfaction on the economic profitability of their projects. In addition, on theterritorial integration of the enterprise and its contribution to the local economic channel, it wasnoticed that the impact on the local development is rather advantageous: on the one handbecause the permanent or seasonal regular staff is employees of the region and on the other
hand the supplies are, for the majority, local products. Nevertheless, the stakes in putting on
tourism this delicate territory are considerable, especially when it was noticed that the Saharan
tourism in Tunisia takes place on the base of generic benefits identical to those of the bathingmodel which could only increase the pressure on the Sahara.
Keywords: Arid and desert territories, Enduring development, Indicators, Saharan tourism

1. Introduction
In Tunisia, the arid and desert margins or territories cover more than 77.6% of the total surface. 20% of
which is completely desert zones (PAN LCD - Tunisia). These areas are submitted to strong constraints.
Otherwise, the stakes in these Saharan territories are environmental and ecologic (natural resources degradation),economic (regression of rangeland, growth of new economic activities as Saharan and cultural tourism, irrigatedculture, etc.), sociologic (farming exodus but also the return of emigrant who had tendency to invest there) andpolitic (emergence of new institutions, collective land privatization, etc.).
During the years 80 and 90, Tunisia is considered among the principal destination of tourist from Western
Europe. Nevertheless, a consequent part of its market is absorbed by the emergence of new products as notably
the Saharan tourism. This sector becomes an opportunity for the region of Tataouine and a product of highterritorial economic value.
The region of Tataouine has 5 big hotels with capacity of 416 beds. According to the inventory of 2006,
25.550 tourists had visited Tataouine and passed 36.550 nights there. The number of passengers has been
estimated to 600 thousand tourists according to the census of the National Office of Tourism for the year 2006.
Otherwise, in the region of Tataouine, which was nearly a desert zone, nine tourist projects valorizing theheritage of this region are putted in place and eleven tourist projects had been also programmed in the national
plan of development with a total cost of 5614 MDT and 6710 MDT, respectively. These touristy units hadcreated about 87 permanent jobs and are going to create more than 96 permanent employments (ONTT, 2006).
The stake for the whole actors of this economic sector is to improve the quality of services and products inview of a general profitability and a better competitiveness. It is in this setting that the renewal of interest for thepatrimony in a perspective of an enduring development tourist is enrolled.
2. Materials and Methods
The aim of this work is to identify through economic, social and cultural indicators, the types of effectinduced by the development of a tourist activity in the region of Tatouine (southeast of Tunisian) as well to the1

Université Montpellier 1 UFR Sciences Economiques, Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier, 3191
Route de Mende, 34093 Cedex 5, France;
2
Institut des Régions Arides 4119 Médenine, Tunisia;
3
Biotechnolgy Research Center Suez Canal University Ismaillia 41522, Egypt.

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scale of territory as to the enterprise and company (hotel, museum, host houses, etc.) where all investigation aretaken place. Considering the territorial contexts, these indicators have been selected according to the relative
criteria to the four measurements of the enduring tourism (environmental, economic, social and ethical). For
each of them, assessment criteria will be proposed with indicators and elements of measurement.
A reading grid will be elaborated. This grid is based on the fourth measurements of the enduring development.
Table 1. Select criteria.

Different
criteria

Economic-Profitability-Territory integration-Everlastingness ofenterprise

Environmental-Renewal ofresource- Valorization- setting of life

Social- Reconnaissance- Insertion- Partnership- Accessibility

Ethical- Governance- Transparency- Solidarity-time

3. Results and discussions
For each criterion already cited, a qualitative appreciation note for the different entrepreneurs was recorded.
The notes are codified as follow: (0: if the criteria are not taken in account, 1: criteria are weakly taken inaccount, 2: criteria are well taken in account, 3: if the criteria are very well taken in account).
An assessment grid is elaborated where some different colours are attributed to each dimension of theenduring development in order to make the results well clear.
Table 2. Assessment grid.

Criteria list0Scoring scale12

Environmental dimension
Integration of stand on landscapeEconomy of water measurement
×
Heating systems (solar energy)
×
Architectural quality: conformable used material×
Architectural quality: respect of local architecture
Wastewaters treatments: Existence system of purification
×
Waste treatment
×
Landscape quality: prescriptions and specification respect×Supply and 1st matter: stand, is this local?
Supply of 1st matter: food product, is this local?
Information transmitted : potentialities of territories documents
Festivities participation, actions of environment×
improvement
×
Respect of common interest, multi use of tourist sites×
Neighborhood relationship: existence of problem
×
Dialogue quality for multi use of tourist sites

Total Average
3×××××30113101333111123

1.53

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Social dimension
Personnel satisfaction degree
Declared enrollment
Personnel fidelity: number of regular salaried
Absence authorization for formation
Trainee reception
Local live: voluntary activity, cultural, sporty
Diversity of client: academic and clients with weak
incomePricing: existence of reduction for the weak income andstudents

××××××××2221211×1
12

Economic dimension
Remuneration of high responsible, degree of satisfaction
Stability of personnel: permanent employee or regular seasonal employee
Creation of job: number of employee living in place
Tourist attraction: clientele flux during tourist season
Image : conviviality
Commercial diversity: diversification of activities or products
Tourism display: satisfaction on number of activities
month
Economic spécialization: multiactivities others families incomes
State of commerce floorMarket vigil
Renewal: presence of successor
Concurrence: regional offer in the same activity, not embarrassing

×××××××××××3
33232322322×32
Governence
Existence of usually collaboration between actors
Existence of profit-sharing device of salaried for results
Results: information on the enterpriseJob contracts: information on the job contract
Solidarity effort: enterprise help to the salaried
Planning: Existence of plan of environment
improvement
×TotalPercentage

3
7.32

1.5×××××2.66

1111
3016
39.02

1024.391229.27

741
100

1.16

Source: Our investigation, 2007

This grid can be used in order to visualize the application degree of the dimension of the enduring tourism
by the enterprises and companies and to sensitize the agent and the territorial collectiveties to the methods andthe practices of "developer and applicator of enduring development”.
The grid showed that the different criteria of the enduring development are weakly taken in account with a358

percentage of 39% for category 1.
After having completely filled the assessment grid, it is possible to draw a "curve of fever" of thepatrimonial enhancement project. Indeed, a neat ordering followed of sorting cells was achieved. A global
representation of the activities according to the graphic position of the grid criteria was obtained to the look of
the dimension of enduring development (social, economic, environmental and ethical).
The reading of the assessment grid mentioned showed that it is especially the economic dimension that istaken in account by all entrepreneurs of Tataouine region. This grid had permitted :- To emerge the progress that it is possible and desirable to implement it, to improve the application conditionsof an enduring tourist development, to reinitiate the planning operations and to respect especially the socialconditions;- To propose to the entrepreneurs a reproducible process of developer and applicator of an "enduringdevelopment” which reduces the uncertainties margins and the interpretation gaps concerning theimplementation of this concept (conducting process of tourist projects);- To adopt the concept of "quality process" where the principles of the enduring development are appropriated,placing, therefore, the users in a virtuous process of continuous improvement of the productions or services.
4. Conclusions and recommendations
The interest accorded to the heritage and its tourist valorization, in the world, becomes more and more
remarkable especially in the northern countries. This allowed, at a time, creating of new tourist products
susceptible to attract a new clientele and increasing the profitability economic of the sector (Vergneau, 1998).
Besides, the interest carried to the patrimony and the environment is inscribed also in the worry to improve thequality of life and work in local and regional scale and encouraging the attractively spaces which will be planed
to the investments.
However, the tourist valorization of the patrimony is confronted to many constraints revealing as well tothe volume of the investments which will be agree as to the environmental and cultural stake. Therefore, thisequation tourist and heritage is far to be reached when it is about reconciling the economic profitability with theenvironment preservation of sites and monuments.
In conclusion, we noted the existence of a diversity of actors according to their strategies of action concerning
tourist valorization of the local heritage. Two big types of tourist development process could be distinguished:•Process 1: corresponding to a logic essentially commercial and economic,•Process 2: groups the actors who look for, rather, to another more traditional tourism. Therefore, they will
be oriented for logic of patrimony conservation.
Between these extreme processes, we can separate other types of process. Indeed, when we passed fromthe extreme process 1 to the extreme process 2 we can find: the private entrepreneurs (Hotels, tourist restaurant),
the tourism enterprises (Travels agencies), the small professionals (Local products tradesmen), the patrimonies
professionals (Representatives of patrimony institute), the guest host and the passionate (Associations ofprotection of the local patrimony).
The identification of one actor or a group of actors depended, therefore, on the nature of the other groups ofactors. This interaction intervenes in order to be situated in the social setting of the territory. It operated also inorder to influence the options and choices.
On the other hand, we should specify that there is also interdependence between the two processes. For
example, thanks to the enterprises of tourism (travels agencies, entrepreneurs), which bring the clientele, thesmall companies, living on a patrimonial valorization, received this clientele which is indispensable to theprofitability of their activities. Nevertheless, the small companies (the passionate, the guest host) give a naturaland human picture in the territory that is used like an attractive element by these enterprises of big dimension.
References
MEAT (2000): Prgramme d’Action National de Lutte Contre la Désertification, Tunisie.
Ministére du tourisme (2006): Office National du Tourisme Tunisien, rapport annuel 2006.
OMT (1998): Guide à l’intervention des autorités locales. Développement du tourisme durable, Collectif-Editions, 223p.
Ouezdou H. (2001): Découvrir la Tunisie du Sud de Matmata à Tataouine : Ksour, Jessour et Troglodytes, Tunis, Edition 2001, 80p.
Vergneau J. (1998): au nom de la Commission n°7 ‘Culture Tourisme et Sport’ Région des pays de la Loire, conseil économique etsocial, session de 18-19 Juin, Avis relatif à La valorisation historique du patrimoine.