Algeria aims to boost tourism with new investment

Algeria aims to attract more tourists to its cultural and scenic treasures, shedding its status as a tourism backwater compared to its Maghreb neighbors Morocco and Tunisia. Africa’s largest country boasts Roman and Islamic sites, beaches, mountains, and Saharan landscapes. Despite this, it welcomed only 3.3 million foreign tourists in 2023, compared to Morocco's 14.5 million according to Reuters A decades long focus on oil and gas revenues led to neglect of the country’s tourism industry, and a civil war in the 90s kept victors away. 

To boost tourism, analysts say Algeria needs to overhaul its visa system, improve transport links, and encourage private investment. Saliha Nacerbay, Director of the National Tourism Office, says the North African country aims to attract 12 million tourists by 2030 through investments and building new tourist facilities. 

The government plans to modernize hotels and restore historical sites, with 249 locations targeted for tourism expansion.