Tour operators record growing demand for Algeria tours among Russians

MOSCOW. April 4 (Interfax) - Russians are increasingly showing interest in Algeria as a holiday and travel destination in 2024, which could be attributed to both interesting guided tour programs and the availability of direct flights with Air Algerie, the Russian Union of Travel Industry said.

"Demand for Algeria intensified relatively recently. We have seen sales of holiday packages up 50% year-on-year," the president of Kilimanjaro, a Russian tour operator, Marina Katkova said.

Dozens of tourists buy the packages monthly, with enquiries being made for both individual and group tours.

Otkrytie Commercial Director Sofya Gavrilova said the national carrier Air Algerie operates direct flights from Moscow three times a week, which makes the country more popular among vacationers and transit passengers.

"Air Algerie is flying steadily, without cancelling flights. The Algerian carrier is also popular with tourists heading to Europe - there are transit passengers on board every flight. Transit visas are not required to go out of the airport but they are put in your passport in just one day," she said.

The carrier is planning to add another weekly flight for the upcoming high tourist season in the summer, she went on to say. It takes around two weeks to have an Algerian visa stamped in one's passport, and it can only be granted under an organized tourism travel plan, Gavrilova said.

According to tour operators, organized tours to the Sahara and the north of the country, which features Roman ruins, are the most popular among tourists. In the summer, the destination also offers vacation tours to beach resorts such as Annaba, Zeralda, Sidi Ferruch, and others.