Algeria seeks to halt Sahel tourism decline

Sightseeing businesses in Algeria expressed anger at the government's decision to limit foreign visitors because of kidnapping concerns.

By Mouna Sadek for Magharebia in Algiers – 12/11/10

The Saharan tourism industry fears that foreigners will abandon Algeria due to the worsening security situation at the country's borders. Business leaders are concerned that kidnappings will negatively impact the tourism sector and they are asking the government to take action.

"A number of foreign tourists have canceled their reservations for Tamanrasset," admitted Mr Ouyahia, from the local travel company, at the first International Tourism Marketing Days in Algiers on Monday (November 8th).

He added that bookings for the capital of the Ahaggar region were running at 65% capacity, but were expected to tail off by the end of the year.

The three-day Algiers conference brought together international tourism experts, who addressed sustainable development of tourism and marketing in the country.

Attendees called for Algeria to refine its communication strategy in order to attract foreign travelers. Marketing expert Jean-François Schmidt said that the "security" factor could certainly be a stumbling block in the Algerian Sahara.

"The authorities will have to find a solution to take control of this situation and make the tourist season profitable in the region. Egypt, facing a similar problem, has deployed police forces to reassure both those working in the industry and foreign visitors," he explained.

"Communication is an important way to send out a message. The Algerian authorities should have played down events in the Sahel-Saharan region," Schmidt added.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Rouani, president of the National Union of Alternative Tourist Agencies, criticized in El Watan newspaper "the unexplained closure of numerous sites in Ahaggar and Tassili, the very heart of tourism in Tamanrasset, which has dealt a heavy blow to the industry". He said there have been no incidents in the region since 2003.

For his part, National Office of Tourism (ONT) chief Ahmed Bouchedejira remains optimistic.

"We're still very confident about this year's tourist season in the Sahara. Moreover, a large number of foreign tourists arrived in Algeria in October, and there have been no incidents to date," he said at the conference.

He also highlighted that Algeria had set up a marketing plan to promote "Destination Algeria". According to Bouchedejira, the strategy is aimed at improving accommodation for tourists visiting the country and reducing prices, which still remain high for those on average budgets. He said that Algeria notched up nearly two million foreign tourists in 2009, marking an increase of 8% from 2008. Nevertheless, the fact is that 65.69% of travelers are Algerians who now live abroad.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/11/12/feature-03.