Last week Jules Verne announced two new tours in a brand-new destination for the escorted tour operator – Algeria.

This year, there will be five departures of an eight-night Highlights of Algeria tour and five departures of a 12-night Grand Tour of Algeria: Ancient Cities to the Sahara Desert. 

So, what is it about Algeria that has piqued the tour operator’s interest? 

In a nutshell, it’s a Mediterranean destination, offering winter sun, otherworldly desert landscapes and ancient ruins, and there’s barely a tourist in sight. 

Debbie O’Neill, managing director, Jules Verne, said: “Still a relatively undiscovered destination, Algeria’s rich culture, fascinating history and breathtaking landscapes make it a standout choice for customers seeking a culturally immersive, unique and memorable travel experience away from the crowds.”

It feels like Jules Verne is onto something – acting as an early champion of a destination that has huge potential to grow.

In 2025, Algeria recorded its highest tourism growth in 20 years, welcoming over 2.5 million visitors, with ambitious plans to reach 12 million tourists by 2030.

A thirst for adventure

Ashley Quint, director at Berkhamsted-based travel agency Traveltime World, attended Destinations Travel Show in London at the end of January, where he picked up on an “Algeria vibe”. 

“Sometimes you just get a vibe, and Algeria seemed to be the one which was capturing people's imagination. I went to [travel expert] Simon Calder's talk, and he put it as one of the 'ones to watch for 2026', and there was also a Wild Frontiers presentation on Algeria as well.”

Ashley notes there is a thirst, particularly among the very well-travelled, to get to places they haven't really been able to properly before: 

“A couple of years ago it was Saudi with the lifting on their visa requirements, and this year it seems to be Algeria. I would say it’s more for those who are well travelled though – who have been to the 'easy' destinations already – like Jordan, Egypt or Morocco. 

“Certainly, with my adventurous clients, you sometimes feel you have to invent countries – to get them something different,” he adds. 

Operators in the know

Wild Frontiers made its name as a travel company that’s not afraid to go beyond the headlines and venture where others do not tread, and it has offered tours in Algeria for several years now. 

The B Corp tour operator analysed booking data and external travel trends to reveal 16 top destinations that it tipped for growth in 2026, and Algeria was included on list. 

Claire Tobin, chief executive, Wild Frontiers, said: “Overtourism remains one of the biggest challenges facing the travel industry, so it’s encouraging to see more travellers looking beyond the obvious. 

“Exploring lesser-visited regions not only eases the strain on overcrowded hotspots, but also brings meaningful economic benefits to emerging destinations – helping to sustain the very cultures and communities that make travel so rewarding.” 

Explore is another adventure travel operator that has shown faith in Algeria, adding three immersive itineraries in the destination for 2026. A 10-day trip focuses primarily on archaeological highlights in the north, visiting what the operator describes as some of the very best ancient Roman sites in the world. A nine-day tour travels deep into the Sahara Desert in the far south of the country, offering a remote digital detox and wild camping experience away from civilisation. The two tours combine to form a comprehensive 16-day tour that merges both northern and southern highlights.

Anthony Barton, Africa programme manager at Explore Worldwide, said: “There are 16 departures of our most popular itinerary, Wonders of Ancient Algeria & the M’Zab Valley, in Northern Algeria, running in 2026, all of which are nearly fully booked, and a further 21 departures for 2027 already on sale and selling strongly. Algeria is particularly popular with solo travellers, who make up 69% of bookings for 2026.”

He adds: “Algeria is incredibly special in terms of rich heritage culture, archaeology and overall experience. We feature elements of the world’s deserts in several tours we offer in Morocco, Jordan and Tunisia, which are all amazing, but none get anywhere close to the experience our adventurers can enjoy in Algeria.”

“Being totally off-grid allows our customers to be immersed amongst the most spectacular desert scenery, ancient rock art, sand dunes and dramatic canyons, witnessing stunning sunrises and sunsets against the backdrop of vast sand dunes with no one else around and the clearest night skies imaginable.”

While there's no doubt Algeria is an exciting destination to promote, nevertheless Wild Frontiers points out that the country has minimal tourism infrastructure and service levels cannot be compared with neighbouring Morocco and Tunisia, which receive far more visitors. Clients should be prepared for things to go not quite to plan, and that's part of the enjoyment of travelling in Algeria, the operator suggests. 

But if a dedicated tour of Algeria feels an adventurous jump too far for your clients, there’s always a cruise holiday, to give them a more filtered experience of the destination. 

This is how Quint introduced his client to the destination: “I recently booked a Noble Caledonia cruise from Malta to Morocco, along the Algerian coast – a lot of what they wanted to see was on the coast anyway, so made a lot of sense.”