ALGIERS- A cooperation agreement on tourism training and exchange of experts was signed Saturday, in Algiers, between Algeria and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Following the signing ceremony, the Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Yacine Hamadi said that “the agreement aims to strengthen and consolidate cooperation between the two countries in the field of recycling, tourism training and the exchange of expertise to develop human resource capacities”.
Mr. Hamadi added that he seized the opportunity of the presence of the Mauritanian Minister in Algeria, to attend the 21st edition of the International Tourism and Travel Fair (SITEV), to sign this agreement.
For his part, the Mauritanian Minister of Trade, Industry, Handicrafts and Tourism, Lemrabott Ould Bennahi expressed “his gratitude for the warm welcome he received during his stay in Algeria”.
It is worth recalling that the 21st edition of the International Tourism and Travel Fair (SITEV), a major event for the sector, is taking place at the Palais des expositions “Pins Maritimes” in Algiers, after a two-year shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, this international event, which is of a particular importance for professionals, was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Mr. Aïmene Benabderrahmane.
This year’s edition records the participation of more than 200 local and foreign operators in the field of tourism, travel and hospitality, aiming at promoting their tourist offers and Algeria’s touristic sites, according to the National Tourist Office (ONT).
This year’s edition coincides with the lifting of restrictions relating to the Covid-19 pandemic and comes following the instructions of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who had ordered to take “emergency measures” for the revival of the tourism sector, while giving particular interest to internal tourism through the promotion, in particular of tourist services that meet the expectations of Algerian families, the promotion of thermal tourism as well as the revision of the current price policy, with a view to create real competitiveness between investors.
President Tebboune also ordered to involve the Algerian diplomatic representations in the promotion of handicrafts with the aim to guarantee their quality and authenticity.
The tourism sector, which features prominently in President Tebboune’s program and 54 commitments, is rightly considered a real “economic pillar” capable of diversifying the economy and creating a new development dynamic in this sector; creator of wealth and jobs.
In the wake of President Tebboune’s instructions, the public authorities have put the package on the modernization of the sector by introducing and generalizing the use of new information and communication technologies through the implementation of digitization programs of the sector, thus, strengthening cooperation with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with a view, in particular, to contributing to the development of tourist activity in Algeria and the creation of jobs.
In the Declaration of general policy which will soon be presented by Mr. Benabderrahmane to the People’s National Assembly (APN), it is noted that as part of the implementation of the Destination Algeria plan, a study on the marketing strategy of Destination Algeria, financed by the UNDP, was carried out.
Added to this is the temporary exemption from IBS for the benefit of tourism and travel agencies, under the 2022 finance law, for a period of three years from the start of the activity, the reduction of the VAT rate to 9% until December 31, 2024, for tourist activities and the facilitation of the issuance of collective visas for the benefit of foreign tourists.
It is within this framework that Algeria launched, in June 2022, an electronic portal to promote Destination Algeria as well as the wealth and diversity that the country holds in this area. This portal also aims to modernize the sector, which is a strategic focus in the government’s Action Plan.
To this end, Mr. Benabderrahmane stressed that this portal was part of the “program for the digitization of the Tourism and Handicrafts sector for the period 2021-2024 which provides for the digitization of all activities and structures relevant to the sector, through the implementation of 26 digital platforms and solutions, the design of 58 local websites, as well as the commissioning of the geographical information system for the management of regions, sites and tourist structures”.
In addition, the Government has already examined during its periodic meetings a draft executive decree on the determination, declaration and classification of expansion areas and tourist sites, within the framework of the National Strategy for the Implementation of the Master Plan for tourism development by 2030 aimed at preserving the natural ecosystems and cultural wealth that Algeria conceals, which represents an undeniable potential for tourist attractiveness.
It is also a question of drawing up a bill governing the activity of the tourist guide within the framework of the tourism orientation law which includes the legal arsenal governing the sector.
In the same context, the Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Yacine Hamadi, announced the completion of a new legal arsenal in the Tourism sector to lead to a law governing tourism, hotels and spas.
He, thus, mentioned the main axes of the sectoral roadmap (2022-2024), resulting from the orientations of the President of the Republic and the Government’s action plan aimed at defining the objectives and setting the implementation deadlines for the sector development.
