Thalassotherapy and Spa, a new wave of Well-being in Tunisia
Mireille Barreau

Although it is quite recent (the creation of first institute dates to 1994), the destination "Thalasso Tunisia" was first considered, though one must acknowledge that there was a certain sort of condescension, as a second choice after the unquestioned leader i.e. France. But in a couple of years, the scene has evolved considerably and Tunisia has committed itself to move ahead on the routes to excellence that will make it a top-rated "well-being" destination, positioned at "high-end", far ahead of the models from which it is inspired. Today, the Tunisian thalassa represents 140000 therapists, 35 institutes are actually operating and about twenty are in planning or construction stages. With regards to balneology, if the wealth of many mineral springs has always been used at a local level, the renovation of spa resorts such as Grand Korbous, Bent Jdidi and Hammet Gabès has become a matter of priority for Tunisian authorities that also wish to highlight Spa tourism in all its forms: spa village, fitness spa institutes, thermoludism, rehabilitation of culture of traditional hammams… By the year 2016, the value of investments must increase from 93 million Dinars to 225 million Dinars (1 € = 1.72 TND). This market must be observed very carefully by all the professionals of this sector and there are already many things to learn from this ambitious and voluntarist strategy of conquest of new parts of the market, based on a strict quality approach, which is strongly supported by the Tunisian government.

 The Franco-Tunisian Thalassotherapy and Balneology Meetings
Following the efforts of Economic Mission of French Embassy in Tunisia and organised by UBIFRANCE, the Franco Tunisian thalassotherapy and balneology conference that took place on the 24th and 25th April 2007, at Hotel Concorde-Les Belges du Lac in Tunis, marked an important moment of exchanges and contacts among organisations on both sides of the Mediterranean. The aim of these meetings was to bridge the distance between knowledge, skills and experiences in the niche of well-being tourism.
In a context where France has already the first place as a supplier, client and investor in Tunisia with more than 1100 organisations with French joint-venture in the Tunisian territory, the policy of voluntary support and development set-up by the Tunisian Government constitute very important opportunities of development for French and Tunisian organisation that produce goods or services dedicated to the universe of well-being tourism. Therefore, the aim of these days was on one hand to present as complete a picture as possible, as well as the strategies set-up by the National Tourism Office of Tunisia and Balneology Office, and on the other hand, to bring French companies in contact with Tunisian operators in order to generate new waves of business.

The day of 24th April was dedicated to this presentation of Tunisian well-being tourism market. Many high-level speakers went on stage, Ms. Florence Bouyala-Imbert, Assistant to the Head of Economic Mission of French Embassy in Tunis; Mr. Afif Maherzi, Assistant Director General of National Tourist Office of Tunisia (ONTT), Mr. Fredj Daouas, Director General of National Balneology Office of Tunis, Ms. Amel Jrad, In-charge of International Technical and Environmental Centre Laboratory of Tunis (CITET). Then the professionals had the opportunity to speak and they shared their experience in the Tunisian market: Mr. Mohamed Béhi, Director of Bio Azur Centre, Ms. Chedlia Mokni, Director of DONNA Company and distributor of SOTHYS brand and Mr. Mohamed Galaoui, Manager of HDS Tunisia Company, importer of SOMETHY brand.
In the afternoon, the group (more than fifty people) had the opportunity to visit Marine Baths of Carthage and the spa resorts of Jebel El Oust.
The second day was dedicated to B to B meetings; contacts qualified as very useful by the participants. To cite a few of the companies that participated: Ressourcea, ADN Informatique, Bernard Cassière, Interbeauté, Ocealia, Biostase…
Loïc Biagini, CEO of IMC and publisher of EMOTION SPA Magazine, ensured the media coverage of the event and developed the prospective partnerships between the participants and the government authorities that were present.
In the end, let us salute the "architects" of this success: Pascal Coste, Attaché Commercial, Julien Gharrou, Sectional Attaché of Economic Mission of the French Embassy in Tunis, as well as Marilyne Houbani for UBIFRANCE.


HASDRUBAL, from thalassotherapy of flowers to Spa of three waters, a route to excellence
The group Hasdrubal is one of the leaders of thalassotherapy in Tunisia with three institutes integrated in 4**** and 5***** hotels: Yasmine Hammamet, Port El Kantaoui and Djerba, is a striking example of outstanding progress of this new well-being tourism promising a sharp expansion, if one refers to the strongly indicated will of stakeholders and policies of support of the government.



The Residence Tunis La Marsa, a jewel of more and more "Spa" Tunisian thalassotherapy…
The Residence in Tunis La Marsa is part of those legendary Hotels whose fame keeps on increasing along the route of excellence where quality is the key-word. But The Residence, is not only one of the jewels of the "The Leading Hotels of the World" Chain; it is also an integrated institute of thalassotherapy, today, rechristened "Les Thermes Marins de Carthage".

To read :

> Massage/sculpting, the debate goes on
> Introducing a Spa into a Hotel - a necessity or a competitive edge ?
> Brand name choices from a Spa Manager’s point of view
> The Spa move away from thermalism: the time to diversify
> Hydro aesthetics ? Hhydrotherapy ? What Spa equipment must we choose ?