Algeria Takes New Measures to Boost Desert Tourism

View of snow in the Sahara, Ain Sefra, Algeria (File photo: Reuters)
View of snow in the Sahara, Ain Sefra, Algeria (File photo: Reuters)
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Algeria Takes New Measures to Boost Desert Tourism

View of snow in the Sahara, Ain Sefra, Algeria (File photo: Reuters)
View of snow in the Sahara, Ain Sefra, Algeria (File photo: Reuters)

Algeria seeks to attract foreign tourists through a series of measures that encourage desert tourism in the south of the country, following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia, which opened its doors to foreign tourists for the first time in 2019.

Bloomberg news agency reported that Algeria is planning to ease access for international travelers, according to an Interior Ministry document.

The ministry's statement announced the approval of new arrangements for granting tourist visas to foreign tourists wishing to visit the south of the country in close coordination with the various ministerial sectors and relevant bodies.

Visitors may be issued tourist visas on arrival, allowing them to explore desolate landscapes and ancient monuments in the country as an alternative to the long and futile bureaucratic process before travel.

In this regard, it was decided to enable foreigners wishing to undertake tourist trips to the country's south through approved national tourism and travel agencies to benefit from the settlement visa directly upon arrival at the border crossings, especially in the southern states.

According to the ministry, the concerned foreign tourists benefit from a document handed over to them by their tourism agencies, allowing them to board various airlines' planes at the airports.

The tourists also benefit, directly upon their arrival, from settlement visas with a period corresponding to their organized visit.

The decision is effective now, although the tourism season, which locals and Algerians from abroad have largely dominated, typically covers the cooler months beginning in October.

However, Bloomberg noted that there's an issue as visitors will only be welcome in the south of the country covering the Sahara desert, meaning it will be harder to travel to the Mediterranean coastline, winter skiing in the Atlas mountains, or the ancient capital of Algiers.

Tourists must book through an approved travel agency operating in Algeria and will be accompanied by the police, according to the ministry's statement.

The Ministry of Interior stated that the accredited tourism agencies include all data related to the tourist visit program and the foreign tourists participating.

In addition, the local authorities of the concerned states are working to provide the necessary escorts for all the actors concerned to ensure the conduct of the programmed tours in the best conditions.

Bloomberg noted that the move represents a step change for a country that never sought to become a major travel destination like regional neighbors Morocco and Egypt.

While they were building new hotels and stepping up campaigns to draw mass-market tourism in the 1990s, Algeria was mired in a brutal civil war with Islamist militants, and subsequent rulers of the OPEC nation looked inward and relied on oil to bankroll the state.

The President of the National Association of Travel Agencies, Mohammed Amine Berredjem, said they were pleased with this decision, which would undoubtedly positively impact the tourism sector and the country.

The Algerian tourism sector contributes only 1.5 percent of the gross domestic product, compared to 14 percent in Tunisia.

Bloomberg added that Algeria is also lagging in terms of hotel infrastructure, with 127,000 beds at the end of 2020, compared to 230,903 in its eastern neighbor (Tunisia), a much smaller country.

More than a million Algerians cross the border every summer to spend their holidays in Tunisia, where the offers are more varied, and the prices are more reasonable.

Algeria's government is calling on foreign investors to finance and build tourist complexes, and a framework agreement has been signed between Qatar's Retaj Hotels and Hospitality and Algeria's state-owned HTT for the mobilization of funds. Retaj will also provide management services to HTT's 73 hotels.

Yet some are still determining if the transformation would be a smooth one.

"We hope for quick answers to requests of travel agencies," said Lamine Hamadi, director of tourism of the province of Djanet, the region most visited by tourists. "Long delays scare away tourists."



Oil Edges Down amid Bearish Trump Tariff Outlook

A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo
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Oil Edges Down amid Bearish Trump Tariff Outlook

A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo

Oil prices declined moderately on Thursday as investors weighed the potential impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs on global economic growth.

Brent crude futures were down 23 cents, or 0.3%, at $69.96 a barrel by 0904 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude fell 32 cents, or 0.5%, to $68.06 a barrel.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, with a punitive 50% tariff on exports to the US, after a public spat with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

He has also announced plans for tariffs on copper, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals and his administration sent tariff letters to the Philippines, Iraq and others, adding to over a dozen letters issued earlier in the week including for powerhouse US suppliers South Korea and Japan.

Trump's history of backpedaling on tariffs has caused the market to become less reactive to such announcements, said Harry Tchilinguirian, group head of research at Onyx Capital Group.

"People are largely in wait and see mode, given the erratic nature of policy making and the flexibility the administration is showing around tariffs," Tchilinguirian said.

Policymakers remain worried about the inflationary pressures from Trump's tariffs, with only "a couple" of officials at the Federal Reserve's June 17-18 meeting saying they felt interest rates could be reduced as soon as this month, minutes of the meeting released on Wednesday showed.

Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive and reduce demand for oil, Reuters said.

Supporting oil prices however was a weaker US dollar in Thursday's Asia trading session, said OANDA senior analyst Kelvin Wong. A weaker dollar lifts oil prices by making it cheaper for holders of other currencies.

US crude stocks rose while gasoline and distillate inventories fell last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Gasoline demand rose 6% to 9.2 million barrels per day last week, the EIA said.

Global daily flights were averaging 107,600 in the first eight days of July, an all-time high, with flights in China reaching a five-month peak and port and freight activities indicating "sustained expansion" in trade activities from last year, JP Morgan said in a client note.

"Year to date, global oil demand growth is averaging 0.97 million barrels per day, in line with our forecast of 1 million barrels per day," the note said.

Additionally, there is doubt the recent increase in production quotas announced by OPEC+ will result in an actual increase in production, as some members are already exceeding their quotas, said Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG.

"And others, like Russia, are unable to meet their targets due to damaged oil infrastructure," he said.

OPEC+ oil producers are set to approve another big output boost for September, as they complete both the unwinding of voluntary production cuts by eight members, and the United Arab Emirates' move to a larger quota.