The tourist catering sector, which employs directly 16 thousand people all specialties and offers 90 thousand jobs in a seasonal manner, needs an overhaul of archaic regulations governing it, said vice president of the Tunisian Federation of Tourist Restaurants (FTRT) Foued Bouslama.
Speaking at a debate in ARP held Thursday with the Tunisian Federation of Travel Agencies (FTAV), the Tunisian Federation of Hotels (FTH) and the FTRT, he added that tourist restaurants classified by Tunisia’s National Tourist Office are located in 373 tourist units. They have a total capacity of 37,365 chairs and a turnover exceeding 378 million dinars annually, taking into account the sectors and occupations that arise around the sector of tourist catering.
The official also said several countries now rely on tourism gastronomy which is an important asset of competitiveness. He said the catering sector in Tunisia faces several difficulties, including mainly the archaic regulations that governs it and hinders its development.
Bouslama called for the creation of a parliamentary committee dedicated to tourism, culture and crafts to reflect together with professionals on the legislative revisions to adapt to political, social and economic changes that the country and meet the expectations of Tunisians.
The FTRT is preparing a draft that will be submitted to tourism professionals and advocates the organisation of parliamentary tourism days to bring legislation closer to the real concerns of the sector.

Source: TAP News Agency