An Analytical Study Of Drivers Of Thermal Tourism: A Case Study Of Hammam Rebbi In Saïda Province, Algeria

Abstract

Thermal tourism in Algeria represents a future pillar of a sustainable economic alternative to hydrocarbons. Algeria has developed numerous thermal sites, transforming them into tourist attractions zones. The Hammam Rebbi site stands out for its thermal nature and chemical composition.

waters, which possess effective therapeutic properties, along with diverse environmental and cultural surroundings, making it an outstanding tourist and therapeutic destination. This study employed SWOT analysis to assess the tourism attraction potential of Hammam Rebbi. The study highlighted strengths, including the integration of natural and hotel features, as well as the unique local culture, in addition to opportunities arising from government support and the trend toward domestic tourism. However, the study revealed weaknesses related to the lack of tourism planning and spatial development, weak tourism promotion and marketing, and high service costs. Threats have been identified in the context of environmental degradation due to pollution and climate change, as well as competition within diverse tourism markets. The results emphasise the importance of adopting sustainable tourism development plans that enhance natural resource protection and improve infrastructure, in addition to workforce training and the activation of specialised media campaigns. The study confirms that thermal tourism development is based on diversifying services between natural therapy, ecotourism, and cultural tourism, which increases the site's competitiveness at both the national and regional levels and improves the sector's contribution to local economic development, as well as integrating efforts between the public and private sectors.