Tourism

Despite its unique natural and historical heritage, Algeria’s tourism sector has long struggled to transform into an important component of the country’s economy. Nonetheless, new government incentives, along with private initiatives to expand existing hotel capacity, are helping to modernise the sector, which has historically been sidelined by government focus on other economic activities. Although Algeria is in a prime location to attract many tourists, the country has sought to avoid mass-market tourism in an effort to maintain high-quality offerings. The role of the tourism sector in the economy is expected to continue on an upward trend, although this evolution will most likely happen at a slow pace. As Algeria aims to attract more travellers from traditional markets such as France, Spain or Germany, it will be competing with more developed destinations such as Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey.

This chapter contains an interview with Frtiz Van Paasschen, CEO, Starwood Hotels and Resorts.