Algeria tourism news: a climb to 89th place worldwide
According to Algérie360, which reported on 1 October 2026, Algeria now stands 89th out of 110 economies in the World Economic Forum's 2026 ranking. Algérie Éco, writing the same day, identified the table as the Travel & Tourism Development Index and said it was produced with Zurich Insurance Group. ObservAlgérie reported that the forum published the report on 25 September 2026.
The reported movement is positive. Algeria gained four places compared with the 2024 edition and five places compared with 2019, the last year before the pandemic. Its overall score is 3.52 out of 7, which Algérie Éco described as 3.6 per cent higher than in 2024 and 6.1 per cent higher than in 2019. Algérie360 concluded that the country has moved beyond its pre-pandemic level and attributed the progress to modernised transport, better hospitality, improved connectivity and a better use of natural and cultural heritage.
The same coverage adds important nuance. Algérie Éco placed Algeria ninth among 23 African countries in the index, behind Mauritius, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tanzania, Kenya, Tunisia and Botswana. Maghreb Émergent also described the country as ninth in Africa. Morocco was reported in 70th place, Tunisia in 82nd after losing four places, and Egypt in 63rd. Algérie360 noted that Algeria is last of its regional group. Japan leads the world ranking, followed by the United States, Spain, Australia and France, with Germany in sixth place.
The index does not count visitors. Algérie Éco and ObservAlgérie both stressed that it does not directly measure arrivals or tourism receipts; it combines 102 indicators across 17 pillars. For anyone following Algeria tourism news, the ranking is therefore best read as a measure of conditions such as safety, infrastructure and prices, not as a visitor tally.
Algeria tourism news on land: 362 plots listed for investors
Algérie Éco reported on 30 October that the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts has identified 362 plots with potential for tourism projects across 26 wilayas. A coordination meeting chaired by Minister Houria Meddahi took place in Algiers on Wednesday 28 October, and the ministry issued a statement the next day. The plots are offered to investors through the platform of the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency, known as AAPI, and the census and updating of the list are continuing.
The report gives a detailed breakdown. Of the 362 plots, 150 are being developed: one centralised programme of ten tourism expansion zones handled by the National Tourism Land Agency, and six operations led by local wilaya administrations. Separately, 240 plots are available to AAPI across 30 expansion zones, and 31 lots covering about 54.70 hectares have already been allocated to investors in nine zones in Aïn Témouchent, Aïn Defla, Djelfa, Annaba, Djanet and El Oued.
The minister, according to the communiqué, said domestic and Saharan tourism depend on serviced land that is free of technical and administrative obstacles. Other measures mentioned include a unified digital record for each plot and the marking of zone boundaries to prevent illegal occupation.
Earlier figures, published by Algérie360 on 3 October after a meeting on 1 October, give the wider picture: 294 approved hotel projects under way in tourism expansion zones, of which 111 are on public land under concession and 183 on private land, and a portfolio of 238 zones and classified sites across 50 wilayas. Ten new zones, including one in Annaba, are being developed with more than 10 billion dinars. Light formats such as bungalows and equipped family campsites were also encouraged.
Algeria tourism news on skills: English lessons for guides
Maghreb Émergent reported on 3 November 2026 that regional tourism and crafts directorates have begun English-language training for certified guides in Annaba, Constantine, Oran and Béjaïa. According to the report, the sessions started in recent weeks, and their purpose is to improve guides' language skills and the quality of support given to international visitors. The article gives no number of trainees, no dates and no budget, so the scale of the programme cannot be confirmed.
The initiative sits within a wider push on training. Reporting from late June on the 2026 to 2028 national action plan, which targets eight million visitors, said more than 4,000 tourist guides completed specialised training in the first half of 2026. That figure refers to training in general, not to English specifically, and the two should not be confused. Maghreb Émergent also listed other measures under way: new hotels, easier visa procedures for some categories of travellers and new air routes, all without figures.
Cruise stop in Annaba: 96 visitors on 2 November
Voyager DZ reported that the cruise ship Le Dumont d'Urville docked in Annaba on the morning of Monday 2 November 2026 with 96 foreign tourists of various nationalities. The information comes from a communiqué of the wilaya's tourism and crafts directorate. Visitors joined organised circuits of the region's main sites, including the Basilica of Saint Augustine, which Voyager DZ described as a major religious and historical monument with a panoramic view over the city. The article does not name the shipping line or the ship's previous port.
The call follows other group visits to Annaba reported by the same outlet: 36 Polish tourists on 15 September, who saw the Saint Augustine route, the Hippo Regius archaeological site and museum, and Cap de Garde, and 30 visitors from Oman on 27 September, whose programme included the seafront and the Ras El-Hadjar lighthouse. Taken together, they show Annaba receiving organised groups by sea and by land within seven weeks.
Domestic tourism is also moving. Voyager DZ reported on 26 October that hotels in 14 coastal wilayas recorded more than 1.657 million arrivals and over 3.812 million overnight stays in summer 2026, with the minister citing more than 104,000 beds in 901 hotels and 470 beaches opened. Comparisons with earlier years were not provided.
What this Algeria tourism news means for travellers
The following is context, not reported fact. A higher index position and a growing land pipeline suggest that more accommodation and services may be built over the coming years, but projects listed as available are not the same as projects completed, and nothing in the reports sets opening dates. Travellers planning a visit should treat the figures above as signals of direction.
English-speaking guides matter most for visitors who do not speak Arabic or French. Because the training reported by Maghreb Émergent is recent and unquantified, it is sensible to ask a guide or tour provider directly about language options before booking. The Annaba programmes show what a typical day can include, from the basilica to the ruins of Hippo Regius and the coast, and a private tour operator such as Oryx Voyage publishes such an itinerary with an English-speaking guide.
For flights, the Algerian national carrier Air Algérie states on its site that it serves more than 50 international and 30 domestic destinations, which is the type of connectivity the ranking discussion refers to. Readers who follow Algeria tourism news should keep checking dated, attributed reports, because ministries and companies revise figures and schedules during the season.