导语：Speech of H.E. Mr. Adel Elarbi, Ambassador of Tunisia in BeijingTourism Evening in the Embassy (16 October 2024)
Excellency Mr. Sofiane Tekaya Minister of Tourism,
Mr. Helmi Hassine Director General of Tunisian National Tourist Office,
Mr. Ahmed Bettaieb, President of the Tunisian Federation of Travel Agencies,
Mr. Anouar Chetoui, Representative of the Tunisian National Tourist Office in Beijing,
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends and guests,
It is with great honor and pleasure that I welcome all of you in this ceremony in the house of Tunisia, on the occasion of the visit of H.E. Mr.Sofiane Tekaya，Minister of Tourism and his delegation. We believe that this is a great opportunity that we have to seize in order to promote cooperation between Tunisia and China, one year after exempting Chinese tourists from Tunisian visa.
It is also a matter of happiness and pride that the first trip of his H.E. Mr. Tekaya outside Tunisia is China.
Dear friends,
This year was exceptional and historical for the Tunisia-China relations not only for tourism sector but also in all other fields as it marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. I strongly believe that from these solid ties will emerge great benefits for the Tunisian and Chinese peoples.
Indeed, the relations between our two countries are rooted in history and encompass various fields of cooperation, and I can say that tourism and culture are among the most important dimension of this friendship. This was confirmed during two main events that marked our bilateral relations this year and I am referring to the first State Visit of H.E. Mr. Kaïs Saïed, President of the Republic of Tunisia to China in the end of May 2024 and the official visit of H.E. Mr. Kamel Maddouri, Head of Government in September 2024 during which many agreements have been reached as the bilateral ties were elevated to the level of “strategic partnership” in which the Chinese President H.E. Mr. “Xi Jinping” encouraged Chinese people to discover the richness of the Tunisian civilization and culture and incited Chinese companies to invest in Tunisia.
Dear friends,
Tunisia has one of the richest cultural heritages in the world, which go back to 3000 years and beyond. Tunisia, a land of openness, tolerance colors and love of life, a country solidly bound to its Carthaginian, Roman, Arab, Berber and Ottoman mixture of civilization. Moreover, it enjoys an exceptional geographic position in North Africa, South Mediterranean and the West Arab World (Maghreb) with a warm Mediterranean climate. Added to that our rich Tunisian gastronomy a millennial heritage.
Distinguished guests
Your presence today means a lot to us. It is a proof that the Chinese are really eager to discover a new culture and civilization and we will spare no effort in order to encourage you more and more to visit our country and enjoy a beautiful and unique lifetime experience. We also invite every Chinese business group or company to invest in Tunisia as there are a lot of incentives for such investments especially in a flourishing field such as tourism.
Once again, welcome to Tunisia House, thank you for your kind attention.