Algerian Tourism development plans to be adopted
A bill for seven management plans for the expansion of tourist areas (ZET) will shortly be submitted to the Government for adoption, said Secretary of State for Tourism, Haj Amin Mohamed Said.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Algerian-Touris...
These management plans will be implemented in the provinces of Annaba, Mostaganem, Ain Temouchent, El-Tarf and Illizi. "The adoption of these plans is part of the strategy drawn up a few years ago by the government and based on the dynamics of promotion, investment, financing to make tourism a priority for the domestic industry, "said Mr. Hadj Said in an interview with the APS.
"This strategy has been successful, as the number of foreign and domestic tourists is increasing since 2007, when Algeria became a receiving country for tourists, but these results are still far from our aspirations," he said. Mr. Hadj Said said that between January and June 2012, 1.3 million tourists, including 500,000 foreigners, visited Algeria, an increase of 26% compared to the same period of 2011.
At this rate, the number of tourists visiting Algeria in 2012 will reach 3.2 million, according to the Secretary of State, who pointed out that this is the first time that number has doubled since 2007. "This demonstrates the need for public authorities to rehabilitate the sector," noted Mr. Hadj Said. He focused in particular on the efforts to upgrade the hotel establishments subjected to a reclassification. Recalling, in this regard, that the national park has 1,036 hotel establishments, with 17,000 beds, Hadj Said noted that currently, seven are classified as 5-star hotels, while the classification operation is still in progress. The hotel classification is carried out by a national commission set up for this purpose, and is criss-crossing all provinces of the country to list the hotels in all categories.
In order to strengthen capacities, the Secretary of State has indicated that structures with a capacity of 87,000 beds are underway, including 51,000 will be received in late 2013. Highlighting the measures taken in favor of investors, Mr. Hadj Said cited the example of the framework agreement signed between the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, and banks to introduce new facilities for operators, particularly with regard to the duration of repayment of loans and reduced interest rates. In addition, the Secretary of State deplored the "poor performance" of services at the hotel establishments, noting that only 15% of the national park hotel meet international standards. To address this deficit, Mr. Hadj Said stressed the importance of training, noting that several schools specializing in hospitality training will be created soon, as in the province of Tipasa capacity of 1,200 educational places and whose launch is scheduled for late 2013.
Other schools are provided respectively in Adrar and Ain Temouchent with 400 teaching posts, and another in Ain Benian, specializes in training managers with a capacity of 800 , whose opening is scheduled for September. To this must be added the 181 institutions that train hotel staff, including 37 private and four under the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts. In addition, the tourism department is working to spread a culture of tourism which "carries a positive response" to the environment and for the promotion of tourism products.
Recognizing the role of information and communication in tourism promotion, Mr. Hadj Said noted the importance given by the department to this segment, citing particularly the organization of guided tours for journalists to the sites likely to attract tourists. The fundamental objective sought through this action is to promote domestic tourism, which needs a "more aggressive campaign" to convince both domestic and foreign tourists to discover the richness of Algeria. Mr. Hadj Said highlighted the role of travel agencies which must, he said needed "to show a little more professionalism," regarding the promotion of the Algerian destination. The Secretary of State said, moreover, that no tourist area "was closed" for visitors in southern Algeria for safety reasons, ensuring that "all precautions" were taken to the reception of tourists .
"This strategy has been successful, as the number of foreign and domestic tourists is increasing since 2007, when Algeria became a receiving country for tourists, but these results are still far from our aspirations," he said. Mr. Hadj Said said that between January and June 2012, 1.3 million tourists, including 500,000 foreigners, visited Algeria, an increase of 26% compared to the same period of 2011.
At this rate, the number of tourists visiting Algeria in 2012 will reach 3.2 million, according to the Secretary of State, who pointed out that this is the first time that number has doubled since 2007. "This demonstrates the need for public authorities to rehabilitate the sector," noted Mr. Hadj Said. He focused in particular on the efforts to upgrade the hotel establishments subjected to a reclassification. Recalling, in this regard, that the national park has 1,036 hotel establishments, with 17,000 beds, Hadj Said noted that currently, seven are classified as 5-star hotels, while the classification operation is still in progress. The hotel classification is carried out by a national commission set up for this purpose, and is criss-crossing all provinces of the country to list the hotels in all categories.
In order to strengthen capacities, the Secretary of State has indicated that structures with a capacity of 87,000 beds are underway, including 51,000 will be received in late 2013. Highlighting the measures taken in favor of investors, Mr. Hadj Said cited the example of the framework agreement signed between the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, and banks to introduce new facilities for operators, particularly with regard to the duration of repayment of loans and reduced interest rates. In addition, the Secretary of State deplored the "poor performance" of services at the hotel establishments, noting that only 15% of the national park hotel meet international standards. To address this deficit, Mr. Hadj Said stressed the importance of training, noting that several schools specializing in hospitality training will be created soon, as in the province of Tipasa capacity of 1,200 educational places and whose launch is scheduled for late 2013.
Other schools are provided respectively in Adrar and Ain Temouchent with 400 teaching posts, and another in Ain Benian, specializes in training managers with a capacity of 800 , whose opening is scheduled for September. To this must be added the 181 institutions that train hotel staff, including 37 private and four under the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts. In addition, the tourism department is working to spread a culture of tourism which "carries a positive response" to the environment and for the promotion of tourism products.
Recognizing the role of information and communication in tourism promotion, Mr. Hadj Said noted the importance given by the department to this segment, citing particularly the organization of guided tours for journalists to the sites likely to attract tourists. The fundamental objective sought through this action is to promote domestic tourism, which needs a "more aggressive campaign" to convince both domestic and foreign tourists to discover the richness of Algeria. Mr. Hadj Said highlighted the role of travel agencies which must, he said needed "to show a little more professionalism," regarding the promotion of the Algerian destination. The Secretary of State said, moreover, that no tourist area "was closed" for visitors in southern Algeria for safety reasons, ensuring that "all precautions" were taken to the reception of tourists .
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Algerian-Touris...