Berber culture and crafts as a lever for tourism development in the Kesra region

Abstract

According to the United Nations Statistical Commission (2000), tourism represents: “The activities carried out by people during their travel and their stays in places outside their usual environment for a consecutive period that does not exceed one year. , for leisure, business, and other purposes ”. (Demen-Meyer, 2005). Appearing since the 18th century, this sector continues to grow in many countries. In this case, we can cite the example of Tunisia. The history of tourism in Tunisia began to be written in the 1920s. Since then, it has experienced many developments and crises that have lasted from the 2000s to the present day. Faced with this bitter observation, the Tunisian government found itself forced to reinvent the concept of tourism in Tunisia. It redirects tourism from the seaside sector to the cultural sector and reinvests new spaces and regions that are unspoiled for tourists. This encourages us to deal with the Kesra region and ask the following questions: What are the new strategies adopted by the Tunisian state and what are the reasons for selecting the Kesra region as a new tourism platform? How will Berber culture and crafts impact local tourism?

To respond to this problem, a quantitative study is undertaken. It is based on the ethnographic survey based on the Kesra region and more specifically on the “Kolna Kisra project”.