Algerian Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Khouria Mendahti, presided over a crucial coordination meeting on Monday to finalize preparations for the upcoming summer tourist season. The gathering, held at the ministry's headquarters, focused on assessing the progress of readiness and evaluating measures taken to ensure the season's success.
Algeria summer tourism season preparations
Attended by tourism directors from coastal provinces and directors of handicraft chambers, alongside central officials and representatives of subordinate institutions, the meeting underscored the government's commitment to the summer season. Minister Mendahti emphasized that all logistical, organizational, and human resources have been mobilized to guarantee an exceptional experience for citizens, vacationers, and visitors across Algeria's diverse tourist destinations. The focus is on enhancing reception conditions, service quality, safety, and cleanliness, particularly for the significant number of expatriates expected during the summer months.
The Minister highlighted the summer season as a vital national event for stimulating domestic tourism and promoting Algeria as a tourist destination. It serves as a key opportunity to showcase the country's natural, cultural, and historical assets, while also celebrating traditional crafts as an integral part of the Algerian tourism experience.
Minister Mendahti articulated a vision that extends beyond seasonality, aiming to develop tourism and handicrafts as robust economic sectors that generate wealth, diversify the national economy, create jobs, and foster local development. This strategic approach involves enhancing the attractiveness of tourist sites, improving service standards, expanding the tourism offerings, and stimulating investment.
Coastal provinces presented detailed reports on their ongoing preparations, including beach development, equipping tourist facilities, improving environmental aesthetics and sanitation, monitoring tourism investment projects, and organizing recreational and cultural activities. These reports provided a comprehensive assessment of the readiness levels across the coastal regions, coordinated under the direct supervision of provincial governors and in collaboration with relevant sectors and agencies.
Significant progress has been made in preparing the nation's beaches. As of May 31, 2026, 470 beaches designated for swimming have been opened across 124 coastal municipalities. Furthermore, 328 beaches have been equipped with tourism development plans, with an additional 63 plans nearing completion before the official season launch. The Minister stressed the importance of accelerating these plans to ensure organized and modern beach management, strictly adhering to the new law governing the tourism exploitation of beaches, and guaranteeing free access for families to enjoy these spaces under optimal conditions.
Regarding tourism investment, the Minister urged continued support for investors and economic actors to expedite the completion of ongoing projects and their timely operationalization. In anticipation of the current summer season, 39 new hotel establishments are expected to commence operations. To date, nine new hotel projects have been commissioned, adding a total capacity of 890 beds. An additional seven projects are slated for completion in June, further enhancing national accommodation capacity and the sector's competitiveness. The total number of hotel establishments is projected to reach 875 across various categories.
The ministry is also pushing for the widespread adoption of digital solutions in tourism services, including online booking, digital payments, and the management of accommodation facilities, to improve user experience and accessibility. Intensified promotion of Algeria as a tourist destination through digital and traditional media, coupled with the creation of professional promotional content highlighting national attractions, is also a key priority.
For tourism and handicraft activities, the Minister emphasized the importance of incorporating cultural, recreational, and economic dimensions into the summer season through diverse programs catering to all segments of society. Special emphasis will be placed on promoting traditional crafts through organized salons and exhibitions in coastal cities, involving artisans from across the country, particularly from the southern regions, and providing suitable spaces for showcasing and marketing national handcrafted products.
Concluding the meeting, Minister Mendahti commended the substantial efforts made by tourism and handicraft directors, praising their commitment, mobilization, and field follow-up. She acknowledged the pivotal role these local officials play in implementing the sector's strategy and coordinating with stakeholders to ensure the success of the 2026 summer season. She encouraged continued dedicated efforts to enhance service quality and reception conditions, thereby bolstering Algeria's image as a preferred destination for tourism and leisure.
The Minister affirmed her commitment to ongoing monitoring of the summer season's progress in coordination with all partners, stressing that the season's success will be measured by visitor satisfaction regarding service quality, reception standards, comfort, safety, and cleanliness across all national tourist destinations.
Related topics: Algeria tourism, summer season, hotel investment, beach development, handicrafts promotion, digital tourism
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