Tebessa, a Heritage in Search of Valorisation: Analysis of the Untapped Tourism Potential in Tebessa, Algeria

Abstract

The city of Tebessa, located in eastern Algeria, possesses an exceptionally rich historical and archaeological heritage inherited from successive civilizations ranging from the Numidian period to the Islamic era. Despite this remarkable patrimonial capital, the city remains marginal within national tourism dynamics. This article examines the paradox between the abundance of heritage resources and their weak tourism valorisation. The study adopts a qualitative approach combining documentary analysis with exploratory fieldwork conducted among institutional actors, economic stakeholders, and local residents. The findings highlight several major constraints hindering the tourism development of Tebessa’s heritage, including insufficient hospitality infrastructure, the absence of integrated territorial governance, weak heritage mediation, and poor coordination among local actors. Based on this territorial diagnosis, the article proposes strategic orientations for sustainable tourism development adapted to the realities of Algerian secondary cities and grounded in the mobilisation of local resources.