Awatef, a pensioner who used to work in a bank, sits on her balcony overlooking the ocean. She sips tea and inhales the sea air in her new residence away from the urban stress of Tunis.

Awatef, a pensioner who used to work in a bank, sits on her balcony overlooking the ocean. She sips tea and inhales the sea air in her new residence away from the urban stress of Tunis.

Migration in Tunisia is usually the rural poor moving to major urban centres, but the reverse trend is also blossoming: The rich are moving outside the capital  to escape the noise, in search of tranquility, comfort and joy.

Pensioner’s paradise

“I am fortunate because I was able to leave Tunis,” says Awatef.  “My neighbors share the same view. Everyone here is looking for serenity, security and good living conditions,” she says. The house in the upmarket district of Nabeul Governorate in northern Tunisia cost Awatef several hundred million dinar (several million $ dollars). Still, it was worth it, she says. She cites pollution, dirt, noise and crime as the major reasons for leaving the capital, where she had lived for six decades. She grew up, studied and worked in the city, but the daily grind of the urban experience drove her away. She says she is more comfortable and excited in her new home precisely because her new neighbours, who also left Tunis, have reinvigorated her social life.

While the number of European tourists visiting Tunisia has decresead, the domestic wave of migration out of the capital to calm nearby areas, such as Nabeul, has raised the prices of real estate on the coast. A quaint tourism hub known for local artisanship like pottery, mats and rose distilling, Nabeul is nearly one-hour away from Tunis.  Nabeul Governorate includes a number of other tourist towns such as Hammamet, Kélibia and El Haouaria, where many wealthier Tunis residents have holiday homes.

Bizerte bound

Other coastal cities, such as Bizerte, are the destination of wealthy Tunisian expatriates. Shawqi Molhi, a father of two, has been living in Canada for more than 12 years. He is thinking of returning to Tunisia to implement a project, but in Bizerte rather than in Tunis. Shawqi grew up in Tunis  but has become accustomed to living in Canadian cities “which are the opposite of Tunis,” he says.

Bizerte is a quiet, coastal town one-house west of Tunis.  It offers renowned views of the castle and canals, but it also houses a large number of military barracks. “I think it is a great area,” says Molhi. “What I care about is calmness, cleanliness and favorable conditions for bringing up my children.”

Soaring prices

With the increased migration towards coastal areas, new residential units are being built on agricultural land close to the coast. “This trend has driven real estate prices as high as US$ 750 per square meter,” says Fehmi Shaaban, head of the Real Estate Developer Union. “This has caused high inflation in general, disproportionally affecting the poor and middle classes.”