Interview with El Chaab newspaper and Mr. Abdelhamid Ouari, Director General of the Office

The Director General of the National Tourism Office, Abdelhamid Ouari, confirms that the upcoming African Economic Forum in September carries strategic significance, as it represents a key milestone in promoting Algeria as a competitive tourist destination.

The spokesperson explains that the exhibition will not only promote Algeria's tourism destination, but will also reveal the tourism ecosystem as an integrated economic sector within the national development vision, noting that its activities will feature innovative promotional programs highlighting the diversity and richness of Algeria's national tourism offerings, at a time when efforts to enhance Algeria's standing in both African and global markets are intensifying.

The public: Can we talk about the National Tourism Office's participation in the African Intermediary Trade Fair 2025, and what makes its participation special?

The Director General of the National Tourism Office, Abdelhamid Ouari: The National Tourism Office is participating in the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025, within a comprehensive participation overseen by the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts. This participation features a strategic character, extending beyond promoting Algeria's tourism destinations to highlighting tourism as a key economic sector within the national development vision. Our involvement at the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 centers on three core pillars: first, launching innovative promotional programs that showcase Algeria's rich and diverse tourism offerings—from cultural and heritage tourism to desert and business tourism—through digital marketing of Algeria's tourism destinations, particularly via the Visit Algeria portal, and by providing virtual tours of key tourist sites, enabling participants and visitors to familiarize themselves with Algeria's tourism assets and encouraging actual visits in the future. Additionally, we are engaging tourism operators in establishing partnerships with their African counterparts, thereby strengthening cross-border tourism dynamics and opening new avenues for cooperation. Furthermore, we are highlighting Algeria's readiness in terms of infrastructure and services, especially in accommodation, reception, and event management, underscoring the sector's capacity to successfully host large-scale events and reinforcing Algeria's status as a distinguished African tourism destination. Thus, through this event, Algeria reaffirms its natural, cultural, and logistical assets, positioning it as a distinguished tourism and economic hub in Africa.

What are the markets you're targeting to attract tourists, and can you tell us about your program for exchanging experiences and knowledge during the exhibition days?

In its tourism promotion strategy, Algeria's tourism sector typically focuses on different markets, including geographically close ones such as southern Europe and Germany, emerging markets such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Scandinavian countries, and distant markets such as China, Japan, Russia, North America, and Gulf countries.

Organizing this major event is part of a special form of tourism known as business tourism. This event, serving as a practical example, does not merely attract visitors from Africa, but also presents an opportunity to bring in investors and stakeholders from all around the world. Participation in this exceptional edition of the event offers a chance to continue the discussions initiated in the previous edition, with the aim of strengthening integration with African countries and exploring opportunities for jointly developing tourism programs or travel itineraries connecting Algeria with these nations, especially with the recent opening of several new flight routes linking our country to these destinations.

During the exhibition days, the objective extends beyond attracting tourists to include exchanging experiences and insights with African and international stakeholders in areas such as digital marketing, sustainable tourism, and tourism product development, thereby enhancing Algeria's competitiveness and integrating it into both African and global markets.