Assessing visa procedures upon arrival and enhancing the appeal of desert tourism destinations

Statement regarding Ms. Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts presiding over a coordinating meeting to assess the visa process upon arrival and enhance the appeal of the Saharan tourism destination.

Ms. Houria Meddahi, Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, chaired a coordination meeting at the ministry's headquarters on Monday, July 20, 2026, in the presence of the ministry's central staff and officials from the agencies and institutions under her supervision. The meeting focused on evaluating the visa-on-arrival system for foreign tourists visiting Algeria, particularly in the context of developing Saharan tourism, and assessing ways to improve this procedure to enhance the competitiveness of Algeria's tourism destination.

At the outset of the meeting, Ms. #TheMinister stated that the visa-on-arrival system, approved by Mr. #PresidentOfTheRepublic in 2023 for foreign tourists visiting the southern regions, represents one of the key measures aimed at facilitating access to Algeria, enhancing the appeal of the Saharan destinations, and diversifying targeted tourism markets, in line with the national strategy geared toward developing sustainable #Tourism and making it a genuine driver of local economic development.

Ms. #TheMinister presented the results of implementing this mechanism, which has yielded positive outcomes since its launch, serving nearly 39,000 foreign tourists from 120 different nationalities. This has stimulated tourism across the southern regions, boosted local economic activity, supported tourism institutions, and created both direct and indirect employment opportunities for the local population, while also enhancing the international visibility of the Saharan tourism destination.

As Ms. #TheMinister paused to highlight the key outcomes and recommendations stemming from the working meeting held on June 14, 2026, involving representatives from various ministerial departments and relevant institutions, which aimed to assess the implementation of this mechanism, identify recorded shortcomings, and propose solutions to improve them, she emphasized that the next phase requires advancing to a higher level of coordination and professionalism, ensuring procedural simplification, enhancing the quality of services provided to foreign tourists, and strengthening the confidence of tourism operators.

In this regard, Ms. #TheMinister issued a set of instructions and practical guidelines, primarily consisting of:

• Preparation of monthly evaluation reports, in coordination with tourism and travel agencies, including precise indicators on the progress of visa issuance upon arrival, documented challenges, and recommendations aimed at improving the process.

• Issuance of guidelines directed to the tourism and handicrafts directorates at the state level, requiring them to maintain constant coordination with authorized and active tourism and travel agencies operating in the field of ecotourism, appointing an official representative from each agency, as well as designating the officially certified tour guides with whom they have contracted, and submitting the compiled lists to the central ministry offices.

• Adoption of a unified and standardized form for collecting data on foreign tourists, including all necessary information, with completion of mandatory fields and addition of new data points enabling improved file processing and enriching the statistical database on incoming tourism.

• Organizing training sessions for tourism and travel agency representatives and tour guides, in collaboration with relevant sectors, covering first aid, foreign languages, tourism regulations and legislation, foreign visitor assistance mechanisms, as well as similar sessions for hotel reception staff and various stakeholders in the tourism service chain.

• Organization of a national evaluation meeting bringing together all tourism and travel agencies actively involved in the field of inbound tourism, with the aim of conducting a comprehensive review of the visa application process upon arrival, sharing successful experiences, and developing a practical action plan to increase the number of foreign tourists visiting the southern regions.

• Working in coordination with all relevant sectors to expand the scope of the system's benefits and target promising new tourist markets, while enhancing international air connectivity to southern provinces through increasing flight frequencies and launching new routes to all continents, thereby improving access to Algerian tourist destinations.

At the close of the meeting, Ms. #TheMinister stressed that the success of this mechanism remains dependent on the integration of efforts by all stakeholders, calling for continued coordination among all sectors and actors in the tourism sector, and adopting a participatory approach based on regular follow-ups and continuous evaluation, ensuring an improved foreign tourist experience and enhancing Algeria's image as a safe, diverse, and competitive destination capable of attracting more tourists and investments, particularly in Saharan tourism, which boasts unique natural, cultural, and heritage assets.

Post shared by the Office Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts - Algeria.