In the wake of the ongoing digital transformation in Africa, local startups are developing solutions to facilitate the discovery of their culture and tourist attractions. Tabaani is one of those startups. 

Tunisian startup Tabaani allows private individuals (called hosts) to organize, through its eponymous platform, tours in regions with tourist potential. It was  founded in 2020 by Hamza Moussi (photo), Moukim Hfaidh and Wiem Ben Mahmoud. Early this year, the startup completed a US$120,000 funding round to support its expansion. 

Tabaani aims to provide tourists with a tailored experience and help them avoid tourist traps. For Wiem Ben Mahmoud, Tabaani cofounder,  the startup allows tourists to travel “off beaten paths,” meet new people and discover new cultures. “It is more than mere tours, it is an immersion in local culture: a highly emotional experience,” she explains. 

On Tabaani, hosts can organize all sorts of tours, be they bike tours, car trips, food tours, or visits to historical places as a way to share lifetime memories and meet people from various backgrounds who share the same passion.  The price of each of the tours is set by the hosts. It is then up to tourists to select the tours they are interested in to customize their own traveling experience. Tabaani even has a rating system to let tourists discover the most rated hosts, who are called ambassadors. 

In 2020, the e-tourism platform was selected as the best solution for external use during the first national "OpenGovDataHack2020" hackathon organized by the Tunisian Ministry of Public Service in partnership with the World Bank. The value of the award was DT3,000, about US$1,000. 

Adoni Conrad Quenum