Insider Special Edition: You have
had a most interesting career which
was very involved in tourism. Can
you give us some highlights?
Tijani Haddad: I started my career
in the tourism sector back in 1969,
just after graduating from Tunis
University. This coincided with the
creation of the Ministry of Tourism
for the first time in Tunisia. Tourism was before then exclusively run
by a general tourism office. I was
appointed by the Minister to manage the Press and Public Relations
Department.
In 1971 I left the Ministry and
joined the private sector, launching
a monthly and a weekly newspaper
in the tourism sector. I remained
constantly in touch with all that
“Each country should focus on its specificities”
happened in the tourism field in
Tunisia and other countries.
I then went into politics, was elected to Parliament for three successive terms and was appointed Minister for Tourism. In 1989 I set up
the Tunisian Association for Journalists and Travel writers (Afjet)
and the Mediterranean Association, which are both members of
FIJET (World Federation of Travel
Journalists and Writers). In 1994 I
was elected President of Fijet, a position I still hold.
In 2005, UNWTO appointed me
as a member of their strategic committee. In 2006 I chaired the Executive committee for two successive years. I have been the UNWTO
special adviser since 2006.
I: You have been president of FIJET for 20 years. What role does
journalism play in tourism?
TH: First of all, allow me to explain
how I have been President of FIJET
for so long. According to FIJET
by-laws, every 4 years the President
and the executive are elected by the
international congress. I have been
honoured to have been voted to
this prestigious organisation over
and over again.
FIJET’s objectives are to contribute to promoting sustainable and
durable international tourism, to
contribute to the distribution of
freely available, objective, complete
and original information on tourism while complying with the ethics of the journalistic profession.
FIJET’s aims are to be a communication link between tourism
consumers and the stakeholders
to bridge any possible gap between
them; to encourage specialisation
of young journalists and to give
them adequate training in our
yearly academy; to foster the foundation of national associations of
journalists and travel writers all
over the world; to organise international conferences; to encourage the publication of professional
printed and online newspapers and
magazines dedicated or related to
tourism.
I: Can more be done to increase
tourism in the Mediterranean?
TH: Of course it can. We must ensure our tourism products are more
diversified, more thematic, more
attractive. Each country should focus on its specificities. We should
better preserve and restore our archaeological heritage and pay more
attention to our country’s and the
world’s environment. If we offer
more facilities to make accessibility
to our countries easier all will make
tourism more attractive. We should
INSIDER SPECIAL EDITION
2015
75