- Title: TUNISIA: Traditional carpets face tough times
- Date: 24th September 2009
- Summary: KAIROUAN, TUNISIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TUNISIAN WOMAN WEAVING CARPET WOMAN WEAVING CARPET ANOTHER WOMAN WEAVING CARPET VARIOUS OF WOMEN ORGANISING CARPETS CARPET PRICE LIST (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CARPET WEAVER HATHBA BIN TIJANI, SAYING: "Before we gained a lot from this profession, it allowed us to provide everything for our children, but the prices now are very low and our income from this business is very limited." EXTERIOR OF NATIONAL ARTISAN OFFICE BANNER ABOVE MAIN ENTRANCE PEOPLE MEASURING CARPET LENGTH PEOPLE WATCHING HAND PLACING CARPET INFORMATION ON BOTTOM SIDE OF CARPET AND AUTHENTICATING IT WITH SMALL COIN VARIOUS OF CARPETS WOMEN OPENING UP CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) TUNISIAN ARTISAN OFFICIAL LUTFI MANNAAII, SAYING: "We work hard to develop the quality of the carpet and provide new models to satisfy the Tunisian and foreign consumers. We must update the carpet with Tunisian features to appease the taste and demands of the consumer." FOREIGN TOURISTS WALKING IN STREET TOURISTS OUTSIDE CARPET STORE TOURISTS INSIDE CARPET STORE LOOKING AT CARPETS ON DISPLAY TOURISTS LOOKING AT WOMAN WEAVING NEW CARPET MAN EXPLAINING CARPET FEATURES TO TOURISTS TOURISTS SITTING ON BENCH INSIDE CARPET STORE MAN ROLLING OUT CARPETS ON FLOOR (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CARPET TRADE MANAGER HABIB DORI, SAYING: "There are many tourists in Tunisia, but their purchasing power is very limited because of the effects of the global financial crisis. The carpets are here and the tourists are here, Tunisia is a very safe country, but it's the buying power that has been weakened." MAP OF TUNISIA HANGING ON WALL MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF KAIROUAN IN RELATION TO TUNIS LARGE CARPET ON DISPLAY MAN ARRANGING CARPETS IN MARKET CARPET SELLERS SITTING OUTSIDE STORES IN INDOOR MARKET
- Embargoed: 9th October 2009 18:59
- Keywords:
- Location: Tunisia
- Country: Tunisia
- Topics: Industry
- Reuters ID: LVA16O4OQX4KAXG4E2CDPZBVVSAJ
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Since the time of the ancient Greeks, Tunisia has been famous for its traditionally-crafted carpets and woven tapestries. A campaign by the National Handicrafts Board aims to rekindle interest in the ancient art both at home and abroad.
Tunisia's city of Kairouan -- long known for its fine carpets and rugs -- is aiming to help the home-grown industry bounce back from poor sales in recent months.
Industry experts say that the global financial crisis, which has hit the world economy hard, also affected their industry because of a lack of tourists who can afford to travel or spend during their time in Tunisia.
Hathba bin Tijani, a carpet weaver, explained how the economy has reduced the benefits of her work.
"Before we gained a lot from this profession, it allowed us to provide everything for our children, but the prices now are very low and our income from this business is very limited," she said.
Carpet sellers have been slashing prices during the tourism season to try and sell as many products as possible, albeit with smaller profit margins.
Lutfi Mannaaii, a Tunisian artisan official, said the drop in business has been a wake-up call to all those involved to improve standards, in an attempt to revive the country's ailing industry and generate more sales.
"We work hard to develop the quality of the carpet and provide new models to satisfy the Tunisian and foreign consumers. We must update the carpet with Tunisian features to appease the taste and demands of the consumer," he said.
Some figures suggest 80 percent of Tunisian employees in the artisan sector are involved in carpet production.
Habib Dori, a carpet trade manager, says the efforts of locals to improve products may have little effect if the world economy doesn't recover soon.
"There are many tourists in Tunisia, but their purchasing power is very limited because of the effects of the global financial crisis. The carpets are here and the tourists are here, Tunisia is a very safe country, but it's the buying power that has been weakened," he said.
But Tunisians will hope their proud carpet industry will survive the storm. Some experts in the industry say the country produces around 500,000 square meters of carpets every year. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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