Interchange Between Agriculture and Tourism in Hergla (Tunisia) in the Context of Sustainability

Abstract

Hergla is an old farming village, located on the eastern coast of Tunisia, in the governorate of Sousse. The natural, agricultural and patrimonial assets at Hergla would allow this typical village in the Sahel to develop a new type of tourism up-to-date with the new international requirements in terms of sustainable tourism. Although the integrated resorts project is suspended, the current tourism development which is on the way seems to be soft. It is set up jointly with the development of the residential and leisure sectors under the initiative of private investors. This urban development is at the expense of agricultural land. Current urban control and planning on the part of the public authorities seem meager. Thus, the integrated resorts project which is now on the agenda would be carried out at the expense of the coastal forest, farmland and an already fragile coastal environment. Here, the state-led governance to regularize stakeholders and role-players is contrary to the principles of sustainable development.