As part of its efforts to promote the island’s tangible and intangible heritage, the Djerba Management Organization (DMO Djerba) has launched a new cultural and culinary tour on the theme of olive oil, offering visitors the chance to discover an oil mill of great historical and cultural value, the “Fessili” oil mill.
This tour is part of the “Promotion of Sustainable Tourism” project, implemented by the Ministry of Tourism with the support of German GIZ as part of its “Tounes Wijhetouna” program, and “will have a positive impact on the economic development of these regions through tourist visits and the creation of a dynamic around the oil mills,” according to Hamda Abdellaoui, executive director of the Djerba DMO.
According to a press release issued by the DMO on Monday, the Fessili underground oil mill, which is owned by the municipality of Midoun following a donation from the Fessili family, has undergone a number of improvements as part of its operations.
To make it even more attractive, visitors to the oil mill will be able to take part in a number of on-site activities, including entertainment and exhibitions of local handicrafts.
There will also be a series of mobile workshops, including the “Gourmet Workshop”, led by young local chefs, which will introduce participants to the flavors of typical Djerba cuisine. There will also be “Cosmetics Workshop”, which will introduce participants to the production of soap using olive oil; and the “Oleology Workshop” that will help participants to distinguish between different types of olive oil through tasting or sensory analysis.
In addition, during the harvesting season (November to March), tourists can take part in the harvesting process, giving them the opportunity to discover local life and get closer to the islanders.
Around twenty guides have been trained to accompany tourists, both in groups and individually.
According to the DMO, the project to promote Djerba’s cultural heritage through the development of traditional olive oil trades will make it possible to preserve the underground oil mill as part of the proposed tour and encourage the owners of other oil mills of the same type, which are currently neglected, to develop and operate them in order to safeguard this heritage.
As these mills are usually located in the countryside or in places that are not included in the classic itineraries, this project will also contribute to the integration of these unexplored areas of the island, creating new business opportunities for the local population (handicrafts, sale of local products, grocery stores, shops, etc.).
As a reminder, DMO Djerba is an organization created in 2021. It seeks as a tourism actor in the public-private approach to promote Djerba, in particular by representing the destination at national and international events, but also by developing marketing strategies to promote what is on offer.
