According to the Algerian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, among the nearly half a million tourists, approximately 47,000 were international visitors. This is a direct result of the reform policies initiated by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to increase the attractiveness of desert tourism.
Over the past three years, the Algerian government has spent approximately $370 million on development, increasing the total number of accommodation facilities in the south to 258 hotels with around 20,000 beds. This year, an additional 21 new hotels are expected to open. This effort helps address the accommodation capacity bottlenecks – one of the biggest obstacles to Saharan tourism in the past.
Notably, Algeria is moving towards developing sustainable tourism models suited to the unique conditions of the desert, such as solar-powered ecotourism in Timimoun or cave tourism. The government is also focusing on digital transformation in the tourism sector and professionalizing its tourism workforce.
It is evident that, with a synchronized investment strategy, policy reforms, and the leveraging of natural advantages, southern Algeria is gradually transforming from a "peripheral" region into a new growth center for the national tourism industry.
RG
