Magharebia

Two high-profile hotels in Algiers -- El-Djazaïr and El-Aurassi -- will not be privatised, but instead will be restructured, Algeria's Tourism Minister Noureddine Moussa said Monday (November 27th) on national television. The minister announced that 300 hotel projects are under way and are 75% complete, increasing the country's capacity by 30,000 beds. The minister noted the increasing tourist flows into Algeria, which rose by an average of 10% annually from 2000-2005. Moussa said its ministry has prepared studies on 22 new tourist development zones. (APS, Le Jeune Independant)