Home › Travel Guides › Africa Travel Guide › Tunisia › Doing business & staying in touch

Doing business & staying in touch

Arabic and French are the most widely used languages in business circles and a knowledge of either is useful. Interpreter services are available. Appointments are required. General business is best conducted outside of the peak holiday periods, and visits can often be impractical over Ramadan.

Tunisians are relaxed about time-keeping, but it's wise to arrive on time for appointments even if the person you're meeting may well arrive late. Hospitality is both important and ritualised: an extended round of greetings welcomes any meeting.

After shaking hands it's customary to lightly press your right palm to your heart. Male acquaintances often kiss on the cheek on greeting. Coffee usually accompanies any meeting.

Suits are usually worn. Both sexes should avoid short sleeves and should keep their knees covered. Business relationships and negotiations tend to develop slowly and visitors should adopt the local pace. Conversations may be wide ranging, but politics should be avoided. If invited to a Tunisian's house, a small gift of sweets or flowers is appropriate.

Office hours: 

Mon-Fri 0830-1300 and 1500-1745 (winter); Mon-Sat 0830-1300 (summer). Government office opening hours may vary by half an hour. Shops open later, while many business and offices close on Friday lunchtime, and the whole country works at half-efficiency during the month of Ramadan.

Economy: 

Tunisia's economy is based around agriculture (main products are wheat, barley, olive oil, wine and fruit), mining (phosphates, iron, lead, aluminium fluoride and zinc), tourism, and manufacturing (chemicals, textiles, machinery, paper and wood). Annual GDP growth was 6.3% in 2007 - an increase on recent years due to developments in manufacturing, agriculture and the services sector.

The government exerts strong control over the economy, and policy during the last decade has followed the path of deregulation, including abolition of trade controls, privatisation and making the Tunisian Dinar fully convertible. Tunisia's most important trade links are with the EU whose members (principally France and Germany) account for three-quarters of all the country's trade.

Despite strong growth, Tunisia has a problem of unemployment (13.9% in 2007), especially among the young. Inflation was 2.9% in 2007.
Most large hotels in Tunisia have some conference facilities. Major conferences are usually held in Tunis or Hammamet.

GDP: 

US$41.81 billion (2010).

Main exports: 

Clothing, textiles, mechanical goods, chemicals, and agricultural products.

Main imports: 

Textiles, machinery, equipment, chemicals and food.

Main trading partners: 

France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Telephone: 

Automatic dialling extends to almost every part of the country and covers direct international calls. Public phones are found widely, with some shops also offering the service. Using Skype in an Internet café is usually the most cost-effective option.

Mobile phone: 

Roaming agreements with international mobile phone companies exist. You can buy a local SIM card at Tunisie Telecom offices if you provide appropriate identification.

Internet: 

Tunisia has a high number of Internet users, so e-mail can be easily and cheaply accessed from Internet cafés in most towns and all resorts. Connection is usually of a good standard.

Post: 

Airmail to Europe takes three to five days; an express service guarantees delivery in four days or under.

Post office hours: 

Mon-Sat 0730-1300, 1700-1900, Sun 0900-1100 (summer); Mon-Sat 0800-1800, 0900-1100 Sun (winter); Mon-Thur 0830-1430, Fri-Sat 0830-1430 and 0830-1330 (during Ramadan).

Media: 

The government retains a tight hold on local broadcasting and the press, despite freedom of information being enshrined in the constitution. The Internet is monitored. Journalists and media who challenge the government are discouraged through bureaucratic pressure and harassment and, at worst, imprisonment. Overseas newspapers are generally available in major centres two or three days after publication, and magazines like Time and Newsweek can also be found.

Press: 

• Daily newspapers are printed in Arabic or French.
• The most popular Arabic newspapers are As-Sabah and Al-Horria.
• French newspapers include Le Quotidien, Nouvelles de Tunisie, La Presse de Tunisie and Le Temps.

Television: 

• ERTT is the state-run broadcaster, owning the stations Tunis 7 and Canal 21.
• The country's first privately-run commercial station is Hannibal TV.
• Many satellite channels are popular, particularly those broadcast from Egypt

Radio: 

• Tunisian Radio is state run.
• Radio Mosaique was Tunisia's first privately run station.
• Radio Jawhara is also private.

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.