Mali conflict turns Tassili and Hoggar into ‘no-go zones’

The chairman of the National Union of Tourism Agencies in the Algerian Sahara, Bachir Djaribi has said that the conflict in northern Mali has turned the regions of the Tassili and Hoggar in the Algeria Deep South into “no-go zones”.
 
Mr Djaribi told Echorouk that this untoward situation had severely affected Saharan tourism with foreign and national tourists now shunning these two regions because of the risks entailed by the ongoing conflict in north Mali.
 
He said that the influx of tourists notably from Europe has been curtailed by about 60 per cent dealing a severe blow to over 150 travel agencies involved in the business of Saharan tourism.
 
The Tassili and Hoggar region is renowned for its centuries old prehistorick rock carvings and the  varied desert scenery and group  walking and trekking with 4X4's are normally very popular with European tourists who fly in to the airport in Djanet. The guides and drivers are almostall Tuareg.