Patrimoine 3000 - Project to Support the Development of Tunisia’s Cultural Heritage

In 2016, the Tunisian authorities adopted the “2016-2020” Development Plan whose main objectives are to launch major institutional and economic reforms and boost investments. The modernisation and diversification of tourism, a pillar of the Tunisian economy, is a priority focus of this plan.

In this context, heritage development is a major engine of economic and social development and also promotes the cultural offer for both tourists and Tunisians. 

The Programme to Support the Diversification of Tourism, the Development of Handicrafts and the Promotion of Cultural Heritage – Tounes Wijhetouna (“Tunisia: Our Destination”) provides a response to the need for reforms expressed by the Tunisian authorities.

It aims to help diversify Tunisia’s tourism offer by creating synergies between the tourism, crafts, regional products and cultural heritage sectors. To be effective, these synergies need to be based on a qualitative strengthening of each of these sectors. The programme’s overall objective is to contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic development in Tunisia. The Project to Support the Development of Tunisian Cultural Heritage is one of the components of the Tounes Wijhetouna programme.

The project is devoted to developing heritage sites and includes two areas of operation:

Area 1: Support for the conservation and development of Tunisia’s built heritage

This component aims to restore and renovate public buildings of historical interest in regions where there is a high potential for tourism and culture. By promoting public-private partnerships, the project aims to replace built heritage and the public at the centre of the territory dynamics. The activities especially focus on studying functional programmes and economic models to manage and enliven these places.

Area 2: Support for the renovation of Carthage National Museum and its surroundings

This component aims to renovate Carthage National Museum - one of the main Tunisian cultural institutions - and its surroundings while taking into account the various scientific and technical stakes of operating in an archaeological site, in the heart of the Great Tunis.

Through this project, the National Museum of Carthage aims to become a new cultural space combining its traditional missions of conservation, enhancement of the Carthaginian heritage and new functions of conviviality and services.

The project outcomes are as follows:

• Carthage National Museum is reopened to the public and offers innovative visitor trails and services.

• A set of operational tools for concessions in historic buildings is produced and institutionalised.

• Around 15 public buildings of historical interest are concessioned and rehabilitated and help to make cultural tourism more dynamic.

• A tool to collect, process and manage data for the heritage inventory is adapted to scientific and technical constraints.

• Public museums offer innovative visitor trails and commercial services.

In a cross-cutting manner, this project focuses on creating dynamics between stakeholders that contribute to heritage development, paying special attention to the institutional arrangements, regulatory frameworks and economic models in order to ensure that the support provided is sustainable.

While the Tunisian authorities are playing a key role in running and implementing activities, the private sector is also closely involved in the project. Associations, entrepreneurs and start-ups are involved in the reconversion of heritage sites which makes it possible to promote innovative initiatives in the cultural and heritage field.

For the project implementation, Expertise France is supported by a project team based in Tunis combining operational expertise (project manager responsible for the coordination and operational planning), technical expertise (architect, economist, etc.) and logistics, administrative and financial expertise (support unit). In Paris, Expertise France’s Culture and Heritage Unit is supervising the operational and contractual management.

Finally, the whole project team is working in close partnership with the international expert mission of the French Ministry of Culture, which is providing invaluable support for the scientific management of the project and the identification and mobilisation of public expertise.

To find out more, consult the Patrimoine 3000 website: Patrimoine 3000