Alaster Hawthorn, who now lives in Oxfordshire, is a Hotel and Catering Consultant whose interest in Tunisia dates from the 1970s. In recent years his visits to the North African country have been for pleasure rather than business.
Rewarded by Tunisian National Tourist Board
Nonetheless, to reward his loyalty and passion for the country, the Tunisian National Tourist Board invited Alaster to join a party of VIPs on a trip to Djerba, to mark the start of Tunisair flights between London Gatwick and Djerba, an island linked to the Tunisian mainland by a causeway that dates, in part, to the Roman era.
British Man Makes 113th Trip to Tunisia
“This is my 113th trip to Tunisia,” says Alaster, who takes several trips a year to the country and normally stays in accommodation close to the nation’s capital, Tunis.
“I used to come the hotels in the eighties, when they were really good, between ’80 and ’86. In ’86 they started to go down a bit...they got busy and introduced buffets. And one of the guys that worked as a Bar Manager said to me, ‘Look, if you are going to come here, I know a nice place you could really enjoy down on the beach, it has a nice little apartment at the back you can use, I know the people who own it and if you want to you can come.’ And that’s how it happened; I met this family and I’ve just became one of them since then. I’ve been coming to the same place for twenty-odd years,” he explains.
Tunisia For Sun Sea And Sand
“What I find nice about Tunisia, okay every country changes, but I’ve always found it very peaceful, the people nice, and the tranquillity of it, especially because I come out of season. You can go on the beach and you don’t get anybody disturbing you and the water is warm to swim in. It’s got everything I want; I’m sun, sea and sand me, I don’t go for any touring around or anything like that. I just come for the good weather and I’ve got a bicycle here so I cycle and I walk and keep myself fit,” says Alaster on why he is a regular visitor.
He’s travelled widely throughout the country. “I’ve been all over Tunisia; north, east, south and west. I’ve been everywhere here. I think I know every place in every town in Tunisia. I was here on the island in 1979 but I have not been back since then,” he said, while sitting in the airy lobby of the five star Yadis Djerba Golf Thalasso and Spa Hotel, within the island's Zone Touristique.
Seasoned Tunisia Traveller Recommends Cap Bon
When it comes to tips on where to visit, Alaster does not hesitate to recommend Cap Bon, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea north of Hammamet. “I rather like the Cap Bon area, that’s the very green area – the Garden of Tunisia, they call it – up in the north. That’s a very pretty area.”
As for Djerba, Alaster was happy to return to a destination that he had not seen for more than three decades: “I’ve know Djerba before and Djerba’s always been very very idyllic. It’s been quiet. There’s more people ever than here. That’s progressed since tourism had progressed. I think it would be nice to see more English people coming here. Now that they’ve got the flights maybe that will change.”
Tunisair Starts Direct Flights to Djerba
Tunisair flies between London Gatwick and Djerba (via Monastir) twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, with return flights starting from £220.
Stuart Forster - Stuart Forster is a features writer and photographer based in north-east England. He speaks fluent German and enjoys travelling to ...
