A stunning North African country has launched a major drive to bring millions more tourists to its shores as major European holiday destinations look to clamp down on overwhelming numbers of visitors.
The government of Algeria wants to see a five-fold increase to the number of annual visitors it sees by 2030, Euronews reports.
The country, which sits in North Africa‘s Maghreb region, has seen its biggest-ever surge in tourism over the past two decades, with over 2.5 million people visiting last year.
Algeria’s says plan to enlarge its profile as a tourist destination is being driven by various measures including investment, promotion, and the improvement of its services.
As part of the push, the government has brought in new laws and support mechanisms to encourage national and international investments in tourism.
Over 8,400 projects have already been registered, expected to create 210,000 direct jobs, Travel and Tour World reports.
Algeria aims to add 90,000 new beds soon and 300,000 by the end of the decade, to boost the capacity of its hospitality sector, the outlet reports.
The country boasts breathtaking landscapes, including picturesque Mediterranean cities and the Djurdjura Mountains but up until recently hasn’t been a popular tourist retreat until recently.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) continues to advise against all travel to parts of the country, citing the risk of terrorism and other security threats.
On its website, the department warns in its latest advice that, “Terrorist attacks have often focused on the Algerian state, but attacks could be indiscriminate and target foreigners.
“There is also a risk that lone actors target foreigners,” it adds. “You should remain vigilant at all times and follow specific advice and direction of the local security authorities.
According to the FCDO, the threat from terrorism is higher in some parts of the country, including:
- the southern border, where the kidnap risk is concentrated
- the Libyan and Tunisian borders
- rural, and in particular mountainous, areas in the north and between Tunisia and Algiers
- the Sahara
“The Algerian authorities continue to conduct effective counter-terrorism operations to disrupt terrorist activity but there’s a continuing threat of further terrorist attacks,” it warns.
The FCDO also advises visitors that demonstrations and other forms of protest are subject to various restrictions, urging people to take precautions for their personal safety by avoiding political gatherings and demonstrations and follow instructions given by local security authorities.
You can find out more about the Foreign Office advice for Algeria here.
It comes as European holiday hotspots beloved by Britons, such as Lanzarote and Tenerife in the Canary Islands, face protests organized by environmental groups like Greenpeace, WWF, and Friends of the Earth who are calling for a pause to the “unsustainable” tourist numbers.
Protests have also been held in other Spanish regions, with residents in Majorca and Barcelona staging protests in recent weeks over the impact of foreign visitors on house prices and living costs.