page_title: Tourism in Algeria
section_title: Saharan Tourism
hierarchical_section_title: Tourism in Algeria / Saharan Tourism
context_page_description: Algeria is the largest country in Africa; one of the main tourist attractions is the Sahara, the second largest desert in the world. Algeria has been a member of the World Tourism Organization since 1976. According to a report of the World Tourism Organization published in 2014, Algeria was the 4th largest tourist destination in Africa in 2013 with 2,7 million foreign tourists, and ranks 111th on the international tourism scene, according to the London-based World Tourism and Travel Council. The tourism sector in Algeria accounts for 3.9% of the volume of exports, 9.5% of the productive investment rate and 8.1% of the Gross Domestic Product.
  The main competitors are other Mediterranean countries, the majority of which have developed a strong tourism-based economy. The tourism sector is still underdeveloped in Algeria concerning accommodation and other services. For this reason, the government launched a strategic plan to boost this sector by 2025.
  According to the U.S. News & World Report, Algeria is ranked among the top 80 countries in the world in 2018.
context_section_description: The Algerian Sahara is one of the most important tourist destinations in Algeria, the Great South is a flagship destination internationally. Hiking is not the only way to discover the Sahara, in fact, camel rides on a Meharée camel or in a 4x4 vehicle, or even formulas combining hiking, camel trekking, and 4x4.
  The Algerian Desert is located in north-central Africa and is part of the Sahara Desert. The desert occupies more than four-fifths of the Algerian territory. Its expansion starts from the Saharan Atlas, more or less as a stony desert and the farther inland you get the more of a sand dune desert it becomes.
  In the southwestern parts is the mountain range Tassili n'Ajjer located. This area is a subject of great archaeological interest and was put up on the "World Heritage List" by UNESCO in 1982. The area is known for extreme aridity and extreme heat, as daytime temperatures are commonly between 46 °C (113 °F) and 51 °C (122 °F) during the hottest period of the year in most of the desert.
  Cities and towns such as Ouargla, Touggourt, Beni Abbes, Adrar, In Salah are among the hottest places on Earth during the height of summer. The annual average rainfall is well below 100  mm (3,93 in) in the northernmost part but the center and the southern part receive much less than 50  mm (1,96 in) and are therefore hyper-arid and among the driest places on Earth.
  Among the unmissable places of the Sahara in quote:
  Tamanrasset
  Timimoun
  Djanet
  Ouargla
  Béchar
caption: Culturel parc of Tassili
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