Marina Sarruf*
São Paulo – The government of Tunisia is opening the capital of two other luxury hotels in the country, the Abou Nawas Tunis, in the capital, and the Sousse Center Boujaafar, in Sousse. The companies that own the hotels, respectively the Society for Tourism and Congresses and the Sousse Center, are state-owned and are seeking buyers who can also manage the hotels. Both hotels are located in the centre of their cities.
"Tunis receives many tourists. The city hosts several congresses and international medical, economic and political conferences. Furthermore, Tunis has four thalassotherapy hotels, for which there is also high demand," said to ANBA the mayor of the capital, Abbés Mohsen, who speaks Portuguese. According to Mohsen, there are almost no state-owned hotels in the capital. "Everything has been privatised since the 1980s," he claimed.
The Society for Tourism and Congresses is offering 59.99% of its shares, and the Sousse Center, 99.93%. The sale is part of the privatisation programme of the Tunisian government, which privatised approximately 30 companies in the tourism sector over the last seven years, including travel agencies, hotels and real estate agencies. The last tender opened by the Arab government in the sector was that of the Nour El Ain Hotel, in northern Tunisia, for which bids should be submitted by March 17, as previously announced by ANBA.
According to the mayor, the municipality of Tunis has a population of approximately one million people, and receives tourists mainly from European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Russia, and from Arab countries, such as Kuwait, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco. The main economic activities of the city are in the services sector, including banks, hotels and insurance companies.
Tourist spots in Tunis include the beaches, the Mosques and the ancient city, called Medina. Every two years, the capital also hosts the Carthage Film Festival, which featured South American films last year, including Brazilian ones. The festival is named after the ancient city of Carthage, whose ruins are 15-kilometres away from Tunis; the city is one of the most visited places by tourists.
The Abou Nawas Tunis Hotel is located in the commercial region of the city, near the main shopping centre, Le Palmarium, and the Palace of Congress, and is well known in the region. The five-star hotel has 313 rooms, the largest of which has 25 square metres, a balcony, a pool that can be heated during winter, rooms for gymnastics, massage, and steam baths, and four restaurants.
Since the hotel is in the downtown area of the capital, it usually receives businessmen, hosts international congresses and wedding parties. The Abou Nawas Tunis was founded in 1990.
Sousse
The city of Sousse, in which the Sousse Center Boujaafar tourist complex is located, 140 kilometres away from Tunis, features one of the most complete and diversified tourist centres in the Mediterranean Sea. The region is also known for its hotels, which offer a treatment with the warm Mediterranean waters, called thalassotherapy.
Tourists at Sousse can also see the beauties of Fort Ribat, built in the 8th century, the Port El Kantaoui, and a mosque built in the year 850. The Sousse Center Boujaafar hotel has 248 rooms, a restaurant, a pool, a gym room, and a golf course.
How to buy
Those interested in buying shares of the hotels must submit their bids by April 17, in the case of the Abou Nawas Hotel, and April 28 for the Sousse Center Boujaafar. The bids should be sent to the General Directorate for Privatisation of the Tunisian government.
In the case of buying shares for the Tunis hotel, interested parties must pay 500 Tunisian dinars (approximately US$ 380 at current exchange rates) for the edict and the entry form to the Society of Tourism and Congress. For the hotel in Sousse, the value is 200 Tunisian dinars (approximately US$ 152).
All bids should be sent to the attention of the "Premier Ministère / Direction Générale de la Privatisation", at the address: 4, Rue Ibn Nadim, 1073, Tunis Montplaisir (Tunisia).
Additional information
General Directorate for Privatisation
Telephone: (+216 71) 282-467
Fax: (+ 216 71) 281-675
Sousse Center Society
Telephone: (+216 73) 226-226
Fax: (+216 73) 227-533
Website: www.soussecentreboujaafar.com.tn
Hotel Abou Nawas Tunis
Telephone: (+216 71) 350- 355
Website: www.abounawas-tunis.com
Tunisian Embassy in Brasília
Telephone: (+55 61) 3248-7277
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
