National Initiative Weaves Artisans into Tourist Season
Algeria is actively leveraging its ancestral craftsmanship to enrich the visitor experience during the summer tourist season, integrating traditional skills and products into various locations from coastal beaches to city squares. This national orientation is exemplified by an initiative in Oran, where the tourism and crafts directorate is guiding hotels to establish dedicated spaces for the exhibition and direct sale of artisan products. Abdelkrim Berki, Director General of the National Chamber of Crafts and Trades, emphasized that craft production plays a fundamental dual role: preserving identity, culture, and traditions, and contributing effectively to economic dynamism.
The sector's economic significance is substantial, with over 476,000 artisans registered nationally, creating more than 1,492,000 employment opportunities. Projections estimate a contribution of 400 billion dinars to the national gross income by 2025, with over 339 craft activities poised to enhance tourism offerings. Many Algerian craft productions have garnered international acclaim, including recognition from UNESCO, underscoring their cultural value and quality. This deep-rooted artisan network is positioned as a key lever for national tourism, accompanying visitor flows across both the extensive Saharan and bustling summer coastal seasons.
Preparations for the Summer 2026 season are guided by instructions issued by Tourism and Crafts Minister Houria Meddahi on April 29 to the tourism and crafts directorates across 69 wilayas, with particular attention to the 14 coastal regions. These directives serve as a roadmap, reinforced by a second instruction emphasizing an intensified artisan presence in all tourist circuits and high-traffic areas. Consequently, dedicated artisan spaces have been established in the majority of public hotels nationwide, including approximately twenty in coastal wilayas, and their presence has been expanded to archaeological sites and heritage cities.
While initial efforts primarily target citizens from the country's interior and southern regions, the strategy also aims to engage Algerian diaspora tourists and, subsequently, foreign visitors. This initiative prioritizes territorial equity, ensuring artisans from the South, whose activity often slows during periods of intense heat, gain commercial opportunities in coastal areas during the summer. Beyond commerce, the artisan presence seeks to offer visitors an immersive experience, allowing them to connect directly with artisans, discover their products, and learn their unique stories and historical contexts.
