Tourism

Unlike Morocco to the west and Tunisia to the east, Algeria has never developed a tourism industry. Since independence, the country's hardline Arab socialist policies and antipathy to the west have militated against any kind of tourism development. Coastal tourist resort facilities have not been constructed nor has the country's heritage been exploited to attract tourists.

Currency, restrictions and the difficulty of obtaining tourism visas are further disincentives to tourists. Tourism revenues in 1990 were below $150 million and the fundamentalist political violence targeting foreigners in the ensuing years decimated what little tourism there might have been.

Although the recent elections promised a possible end to the extremist violence and some political and structural reform, tourism is likely to remain a negligible part of Algeria's economy for the foreseeable future.

See the Tour Guide section for more detailed visitor information.