Extensive Training Program Targets 10,000 Tourism Professionals
Algeria's Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Houria Meddahi, has announced an exceptional training program set to encompass over 10,000 professionals and stakeholders within the tourism sector. Scheduled to run from the fourth quarter of 2026 through the first half of 2027, this initiative aims to significantly enhance human capital and service quality across the industry. The announcement was made during the official opening of the 2026/2027 academic and training season at the National Higher School of Tourism in El Aurassi, attended by representatives from various national training institutions.
To support this expansive program and modernize educational infrastructure, substantial investments have been allocated. Approximately 200 million dinars are earmarked for the rehabilitation and modernization of the hotel and tourism institutes in Tizi Ouzou and Bou Saada. An additional 180 million dinars will be used to equip these institutes, along with the Tlemcen annex. Furthermore, the study for the new headquarters of the National Higher School of Tourism in Tipaza has been completed. This new facility will feature a 500-seat pedagogical capacity, including a hotel, restaurant, and practical kitchen designed to international standards. New language laboratories have also been established in the Tizi Ouzou and Bou Saada institutes with a 12 million dinar budget to improve foreign language proficiency, while curriculum for Bachelor's, Master's, technical, and higher technical degrees is being revised to align with international benchmarks. Over 500 new students and trainees have recently joined tourism training institutions, with more than 100 pursuing higher education in the capital and 400 undertaking technical training in regional institutes.
Minister Meddahi emphasized that this investment in human resources and provision of international-standard, technologically adaptive training is fundamental to improving service quality and bolstering Algeria's tourism competitiveness regionally and globally. The program aligns with the state's strategic vision, led by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to diversify the national economy beyond hydrocarbons, fostering job creation and local economic development. The training focuses on three core areas: digitalization and digital transformation, including artificial intelligence; modernizing reception and hospitality methods; and contemporary tourism promotion techniques via social media platforms. It targets a wide range of professionals, including hotel managers, tour guides, artisans, and travel agency operators, with a particular focus on developing thermal and therapeutic tourism through specialized staff training at mineral stations.
