Feature: Folk hospitality draws growing number of Chinese tourists to Tunisia

TUNIS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- "I happen to come across a big strike during my holiday in Tunisia, but I cherish the unique experience because of the lovely Tunisian people," said Zhang Haiou, a tourist from Beijing, capital of China.

Zhang told Xinhua that she came to Tunisia for a self-guided one-week tour with her friends in February. Their return flight to Beijing was cancelled because of a local big strike. However, their Tunisian driver Lutfe invited them to his home in the coastal city of Hammamet in eastern Tunisia.

Zhang's panic gradually faded away when more than 20 family members, old and young, from Lutfe's home warmly welcomed them, preparing dozens of dishes, various sweets and tea.

The unexpected experience enabled Zhang to find that the family values of the Tunisians are quite similar to those of the Chinese.

"They respect the elderly, and all brothers and sisters help each other and get along well," Zhang said.

"The harmonious family reunion makes me recall my childhood with my family," she added.

Tunisia, a North African country, boasts a history of more than 3,000 years. Bordering the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean Sea, the country is renowned for its rich tourism resources.

Tunisia has become an increasingly popular destination for the Chinese tourists, with 27,900 Chinese arrivals in Tunisia in 2018, according to data from Tunisian government.

Tunisia began to offer visa-free entry to the Chinese tourists in 2017, the year that saw the number of Chinese tourists rocket to around 20,000 from 12,000 in 2016.

The increasing number of Chinese tourists also brings opportunities for local Tunisians. Najwah, a Tunisian college student, has worked as a part-time waiter in a Chinese restaurant for over one year.

"Gradually I get in touch with many Chinese tourists. Through talks with them, I become quite interested in the Chinese culture," said Najwah.

The Tunisian girl said she will choose a job with the Chinese elements after graduation.

The number of local Tunisians dining in the Chinese restaurant already exceeded that of Chinese tourists, said Huang Cong, the Chinese manager of the private-owned restaurant.

"At first, our main target is Chinese tourist groups as I didn't expect that Tunisians love Chinese dishes so much," said Huang.

Most Tunisian customers would like to know the Chinese pronunciation of each dish, such as Kung Pao Chicken, and try to use Chinese chopsticks, according to Huang.

Wang Wenbin, Chinese ambassador to Tunisia, said tourism is one of the prioritized sectors of cooperation between China and Tunisia.

Karim Jatlaoui, representative of Tunisian National Tourism Office Beijing Bureau, expected the number of the Chinese tourists to Tunisia to increase to 50,000 by 2020.

According to the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, Tunisia endeavors to draw more Chinese tourists by upgrading payment methods, setting up Chinese logos, launching direct flights, and running more Chinese restaurants, to make Chinese visitors' trips in Tunisia more convenient and enjoyable. Enditem