Visiting Tatooine – well more accurately Tunisia – is on every Star Wars fans to do list, and like myself many would have been delighted to see Galaxy Tours showcasing at Star Wars Celebration Europe. Rich was delighted to get the opportunity to interview CEO of Galaxy Tours Davin Anderson.
Q. Who is Davin Anderson and what is Galaxy Tours?
Davin is the CEO of Galaxy Tours which developed from 8 years of working in and exploring the cultural aspect of Tunisia, which led to a passion to provide a service for Star Wars fans to explore the film sites and locations from the prequel and original trilogies. Davin was determined to provide a well researched, stress-free, ultimate fan experience for Star Wars fans to immerse themselves in Star Wars and Tunisian history catering for hard core and casual fans alike. Galaxy Tours clarifies and draws together all of the Star Wars filming in Tunisia into one comprehensive resource whilst supporting the local communities in various Tunisian locations.
Q.  Is Tunisia now fully safe to travel for fans and families?
Yes absolutely! Galaxy Tours have spent a lot of time in Tunisia, working with locals to ensure that a safe and fun time is guaranteed. Tunisians, although not fully understanding the global phenomenon of Star Wars, are a very friendly people and are welcoming of tourists and their families visiting all Star Wars locations. Yes, there have been a couple of examples of lone terrorist tragedies, but these were very much isolated terrorist attacks and not a Tunisian norm or problem. Tunisia is an amazing country to visit and Davin has never felt unsafe in 8 years of travelling – Tunisia is fully open for business!
Q. What different tour packages do you offer and how do I book?
Galaxy Tours offer many different types of packages with the 8 day tour being the most luxurious and immersive. For those opting for this tour this begins and ends at Tunis, the main international airport for Tunisia, with luxurious travel, accommodation and dining included. The 8 day tour is the only one which visits all of the Star Wars filming and scouting locations of the prequel and original trilogies. Camera angles, frame shots and more are identified with a wealth of knowledge available to be shared. This package ensures that sufficient time is spent to absorb the entire experience and to actually walk through Tatooine at your own pace. You can also have tea with TK-1! (More of TK-1 later) The 8 day tour is also perfect for fans of Indiana Jones with many of the scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark shot in Tunisia including sunset dining and refreshment experiences. Davin leads these tours personally, has partnered with the best hotels and restaurants and they are all inclusive.
The 4 and 6 day tours are a little faster paced with many of the sites above included. They are private tours and start in Djerba, led by expertly trained local guides who are more than happy to discuss the locations and Tunisian culture.
Davin has worked with the locals to ensure that guests are guaranteed not only a fully Star Wars immersive experience, from fully Galaxy Tours trained guides, but also a cultural and historical experience of Tunisia. Money spent on all Galaxy Tours packages is reinvested back into the local community in order to maintain and restore the film sites and local heritage. Tours can be booked by visiting Galaxy Tours booking page.
Q. How do visitors get to Djerba?
Guests wanting the 8 day tour experience need not worry about this as travel throughout Tunisia from Tunis is included but for those on the 4 and 6 day tours there are flights from Tunis to Djerba 3 times per day. These can be booked by visiting Tunis Air Express who are the domestic airlines within Tunisia.
Q. What are fans’ favourite film locations?
The most popular locations are the Lars’ Homestead interior at Hotel Sidi Idriss and the exterior at Chott el-Djerid. The Hotel Sidi Idriss, founded in 1968, is still mostly dressed up from AOTC era props. It is one of the most immersive experiences on the tour. The 8 day tour allows you to sleep in the hotel and sip blue milk in the morning for breakfast! The binary sunset photograph is a must for any Star Wars fan but Davin wants to make it very clear that there is only one sun and that post-production editing needs to be utilised to finalise the shots!
Many families also enjoy Djerba island which houses Obi-Wan Kenobi’s original house, Stormtrooper check points and Tosche Station all within a few kilometres of each other.
Fans of the prequel trilogy will be far from disappointed as they can visit Mos Espa, Eriguet Dunes, key locations such as the site of the first duel between Qui-Gon and Darth Maul and more!
Ksar Ommarisa, pictured left, is a particular favourite of fans wanting to see Anakin’s slave quarters.
Q. Who is TK-1?
TK-1 is the only Tunisian Stormtrooper identified to date, after painstaking research by Galaxy Tours, from the famous unmasked black and white image. Guests on the 8 day tour can have tea with Taher Khawa (tea with TK-1) and can ask him about his experiences on set – not unsurprisingly it was hot and sandy!
Galaxy Tours provide the opportunity for fans to purchase TK-1 autographs, canvas prints, puzzles and more. Galaxy Tours now act as Taher’s agent to ensure that he his recognised and rewarded for his work on the original Star Wars movie.
Q. Are there any plans to have special events with crew members or with cos players in the future?
Tunisia benefits from the fact that it already has the special features and sets! Galaxy Tours actively seek cos players to visit these wonderful locations with group discounts available. On the 8 day tour programmes such as Tusken tent dinner event would be enhanced with Tusken Raiders and Sandtroopers patrolling the area keeping law and order. Many visitors to the stand at CEIV were impressed with the 8 day luxury tour pricing at $4000 which is highly competitive when compared to Disney type experiences for example. Podracing on ATVs at Boonta Eve would be awesome as Star Wars characters.
Q. What do the locals think of the Star Wars phenomena and how do they react to fans?
Tunisians by their very nature are extremely hospitable. Tunisia relies on tourism to boost the local economy and they actively engage with fans who visit the sites. Mos Eisley, for example, was created in the main neighbourhood of Ajim, has a cafe which was located right where pink shorts boom guy and his team were filming. Locals will happily assist tourists to find the locations that they are seeking to find. Davin’s experience shows that the locals want tourists to enjoy their experience without the harassment and sales techniques of other countries. You can certainly head to Tosche Station, shown above, to pick up some power convertors safely.
Q. What else is there to do in Tunisia if families are visiting?
Galaxy Tours are much more than a Star Wars tourism company! At all film and scout sites there are natural or historical Tunisian landmarks which are discussed before the Star Wars content takes over to give a fully immersive experience to cater for all tastes. Often Star Wars fans leave the experience feeling much more appreciative of Tunisia as a whole.
Galaxy Tours can be found here which will contain all of the information that fans are seeking. Anyone can use the contact us button for specific requests or general questions. For social media engagement Galaxy Tours are also on Facebook and Instagram.
Photos (c) Galaxy Tours
- Hardcover Book
- Lucasfilm Ltd. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages - 02/20/2024 (Publication Date) - Dark Horse Books (Publisher)
