Algeria’s Minister of Tourism and Traditional Industries, Houria Medahi, chaired a high-level evaluation meeting Saturday to assess the 2025-2026 Saharan tourism season, bringing together sector directors from southern wilayas to review performance indicators amid surging momentum.
The Minister revealed exclusively to dzwatch that southern wilayas welcomed approximately 750,000 tourists between January and December 2025, including nearly 65,000 foreign visitors. The ongoing Saharan season, running from October 2025 through April 2026, has already recorded close to 470,000 visitors, among them around 47,000 international tourists.
On infrastructure, Medahi confirmed that the south’s hotel sector now comprises 258 establishments with a capacity of 20,000 beds, with several new hotels entering service during 2025. An additional 21 projects are expected to be delivered in 2026, while 27 others are under construction at over 80% completion.
The minister also highlighted the integration of recovered assets into tourism infrastructure, particularly hotel and spa complexes in Adrar and Ouargla wilayas, reinforcing Algeria’s push to position its Saharan south as a world-class destination.
