The Minister of Tourism, Sofiane Tqaya, recently announced the regularization of the situation of 11 hotel units among those facing financial difficulties. A decision which aims to stabilize the tourism sector, strongly affected by successive economic and health crises.
But beyond this measure, the Ministry of Tourism is proposing a new initiative. In coordination with the Ministries of Family, Women, Children, Elderly, Health and Social Affairs, certain tourist units in difficulty could be transformed into retirement homes or spaces dedicated to health care and convalescence.
The idea is to breathe new life into currently underutilized hotels, while meeting growing social needs in the country. These structures could accommodate elderly people, offer specific care to patients requiring medical monitoring, or serve as convalescent spaces adapted to public health needs.
For the minister, this project illustrates how the tourism sector can directly contribute to the protection and well-being of vulnerable populations. “It’s about rethinking our tourism infrastructure so that they also serve social and humanitarian objectives,” he said.
If this initiative comes to fruition, it could constitute a unique model for the reconversion of tourist units in Tunisia.
