In 2019, I accomplished my lifelong dream of launching my own travel agency in Douz in Kebili Governorate in southern Tunisia, known as the "gateway to the Sahara."

The agency, El Bey Travel, focuses on motorsport tourism, such as motorcycle and quad-racing. Having worked in the tourism industry for years, I used my network in Europe and the Gulf to find tourists interested in this niche market.

But while this tourism segment is lucrative, it is also competitive, with clients always on the lookout for new adventures to explore. So to diversify our offerings, we also promoted alternative and cultural tourism opportunities, such as cooking workshops and cultural site-excursions, for local travelers.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, took a major toll on both sides of the business. As travel and health restrictions caused bookings to decline, many tourism workers lost their jobs or gave up their trade. Many camel-riders, for example, sold their herds, making it difficult to find camel excursions, which were once a staple of tourism in the region.

To bounce back from this difficult period, we received a grant from the COVID-19 Enterprise Recovery Fund established by the US government under its USAID Tunisia JOBS program. The assistance helped us purchase computer equipment and develop e-commerce tools to market our services online as tourism finally rebounded. In addition, we recruited two sales managers to prospect more clients.

Abdelkader Bey – Owner, El Bey Travel