Tunis International Book Fair Closes with Record Attendance
The curtains closed on Sunday at the Kram Exhibition Park, marking the end of the 40th edition of the Tunis International Book Fair (FILT). Over the course of 10 days, visitors were able to discover the latest publications in the fields of culture, thought, philosophy, history, criticism, and numerous studies in various scientific disciplines.
This edition, held from April 23 to May 3, 2026, with Indonesia as the honored guest, brought together editors from over 35 countries who offered readers more than 148,000 titles in different languages. The FILT was marked by a strong turnout, particularly on weekends and public holidays.
On Friday, May 1, the day of Labor Day, the number of visitors reached a record 35,000, a figure never before recorded at the Kram Exhibition Park since its creation, and in any other field, confirmed Mourad Khlifa, the exhibition's director.
Massive Public Attendance: A Highlight of the Edition
In addition to the massive public attendance, this edition recorded several highlights, including a surge in sales. Many Tunisian and Arab editors expressed their satisfaction at having made profits thanks to the enthusiasm of visitors for buying the exhibited publications.
One of the most notable positive points of this edition was the participation of a number of publishing houses for the first time at the fair, and the return of others after an absence of 6 to 8 years, or even 10 years.
Farid Zahran, president of the Egyptian Publishers' Union, highlighted the need to capitalize on the strong presence and participation of Arab editors. He emphasized the importance of encouraging them to continue participating in the Tunis Book Fair in the coming years, which would encourage other editors to join.
He considered that the fair is going through a critical period that makes it a major destination for Arab editors, taking into account the current regional changes, which have led to the postponement or cancellation of a number of fairs.
However, the organizers of the Tunis International Book Fair did not fully take advantage of this critical moment. This edition was marked by several organizational, logistical, and communication shortcomings.
Organizational and Logistical Shortcomings
Despite the popular success and massive attendance at the fair, one of the main challenges faced by this historic event, whose organization coincided with the 40th anniversary of its creation, was the organizational and logistical shortcomings.
The signs of disorganization appeared from the first moments, with a notable delay in displaying the stand allocation plan inside the Kram Exhibition Park, usually placed in the main hall. This three-day delay disoriented visitors and made it difficult for them to find the stands of the editors they were looking for. They could only use it once it was displayed.
The difficulty in consulting the stand plan was exacerbated by the absence of a dedicated website for the fair, or the publication of this information on the fair's page on social media, in a country with 11 million internet users, including nearly 8 million Facebook users.
Some Arab editors also complained about the absence of clear numbering of the stands and the delay in installing some of them.
These reasons led to the congestion of bookcases in the aisles waiting to be arranged, disrupting the smooth running of their exhibition in the first days.
Critics also pointed out the arrangement of the stands, some of which were surrounded by high walls, masking their view from passersby and reducing the chances of these visitors benefiting from the massive attendance, unlike their peers whose stand did not have the same configuration.
Crisis of Stand Allocation and Proposals to Resolve the Problem
In addition to the absence of an optimal system allowing visitors to easily find the stands of the editors they are looking for, and the way the stand numbering panels are written, the allocation of exhibition spaces was the subject of sharp criticism.
Exhibitors complained that some publishing houses have been appropriating strategic locations in main aisles for years without clarity in these allocations.
An editor called for the establishment of an electronic application that allows everyone to choose the space and surface area of the stand on a plan. Through it, each can pay online the exhibition fees for the chosen location, and proposed to establish a higher tariff for the most strategic stands to ensure fairness and financial profitability in the management of the fair.
Another editor requested that the allocation of stands be based on criteria based mainly on the importance of publishing houses.
She proposed that the main hall accommodate the largest publishing houses, which are generally the preferred destination of readers during international fairs.
She also recommended reserving a space for each country, clearly bearing its name and grouping the publishing houses of the country of origin, to facilitate the search for visitors for the publications of the publishing house they are looking for.
Many editors expressed their discontent with the geographical separation between Tunisian editors and their foreign peers, who are placed in other spaces.
They indicated that being in the same space as their counterparts from different countries favors opportunities for partnership and exchange of rights and translation rights.
They added that this proximity constitutes an opportunity to promote Tunisian books while supporting their dissemination.
Shortcomings in Promoting Meetings with Invited Guests
Although the International Book Fair attracted great intellectual and cultural figures from the world of books and publishing, such as the President of the International Publishers Association, Gvantsa Jobava from Georgia, or the winner of the International Arabic Novel Prize, Algerian writer Saïd Khatibi, or the great Palestinian writer Ibrahim Nasrallah, the promotion of meetings with these guests, intended for readers and literature and publishing enthusiasts, as well as representatives of the media, was insufficient.
In fact, visitors criticized the lack of necessary publicity for conferences and meetings. Many book lovers discovered these meetings by chance from their home or workplace through a live broadcast provided by the managers of some stands. They were unable to attend the meetings in person to meet their favorite authors for this reason.
In the same vein, several editors highlighted the "bad programming of the schedules" of the important meetings, which took place in the morning during working hours and classes.
It would have been more judicious, according to them, to program them in the afternoon to ensure a turnout worthy of these important guests and reflect the interest they have from Tunisian readers.
The Importance of Preparatory Work
Despite these shortcomings, the Tunisian reader remains the highlight that marked this edition. This attendance was not limited to young people and adults; the space dedicated to children and adolescents also recorded a strong attendance from the youngest and their parents.
This strong attendance confirms the passion of Tunisian families for reading and that of the Tunisian people, in general, for culture.
It contradicts the assertion that Tunisians are not fond of reading, despite the decline in purchasing power of some and the rise in prices of some works.
This massive attendance of visitors and editors testifies to the fact that the 40th Tunis International Book Fair has been a major event that has been confirmed by its commercial success and proves its cultural dynamism.
This is a positive indicator of the interest that the book and culture, in general, have in Tunisia, both among Tunisians and editors from different countries.
These advantages make it indispensable to seriously consider the establishment of a permanent organization responsible for programming throughout the year of this Tunis International Book Fair.
This mission begins at the end of each edition, after a meticulous evaluation of the previous edition, to avoid organizational shortcomings that have marked it.
Note that similar experiences demonstrate that the coordination and preparation of cultural programs and guests begin two years before the date of an international book fair, and not two months before.
Determined to ensure an organizational success worthy of the reputation of Tunisia and its intellectuals, this long-standing event, many editors, exhibitors, and cultural specialists have unanimously emphasized, in statements to the TAP agency, the importance for the Ministry of Culture to continue supervising the organization of this fair.
They recommended that the organizational and aesthetic tasks be entrusted to young specialists, under the direct supervision of editors and professionals in the sector who have acquired a genuine experience acquired through their participation in numerous international events.
This will allow them to remedy the organizational problems and ensure the radiance of this long-standing event for future editions.
