Tourism

In the face of declining revenues on the back of low oil prices, Algeria has renewed its focus on economic diversification, with tourism – among other sectors – being viewed as a key source of potential alternative revenues, as well as a vehicle for job creation and rural development. To that end, government priorities include accelerating hotel construction, improving personnel training, raising service quality and facilitating investment promotion. Global tourism indicators bode well for the future development of the industry, and with the volume of planned public spending on bed capacity, private partnerships and training, Algeria should be well placed to capitalise on these projections. The future development of Algerian tourism will depend on its ability to tap into such opportunities and focus on new trends such as rising purchasing power and the shifting demographics of travellers. Identifying such trends and distinguishing between the different categories of potential visitors will be crucial in determining the type of developments and offerings that are required to cater to each category. This chapter contains and an interview with Amar Ghoul, Minister of Tourism.