Potentials Of Agritourism: A Case Study Of Date Palm Groves In Ouargla Province, Southeastern Algeria
Main Article Content
Abstract
Algeria , is historically the gateway between south of Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, has a rentier economy which produces very little and is dominated by oil industry. decision-makers are looking for diversified revenue through creating alternative opportunities. algeria's rural agriculture has significant contribution to the local economy, and possesses specific and traditional cropping systems particularly in southern desert areas. ouargla province in southeastern of algeria has a unique palm groves and oasis trees. where all of the agricultural activities in palms are done with local methods and styles that would be attractive to visitors and tourists. The aim of this study is to investigate the potentials of tourism in rural area, especially in palm groves in ouargla province in southeastern of Algeria. By understanding potential of agritourism, recognize palm cultivation regions, assess the commodities activities, identifying the trends of framers toward agritourism activities, comprising traditional cooking, local cultures, palm groves activities, and traditional crafts and games. To evaluate the answers from farmers, study used quantitative analysis. The study results indicate that There is an inadequate understanding of the agritourism practices in study area. therefore, there is no significant development to palm groves tourism activities. Researchers worked to look for solutions to activate the agritourism practices in palm groves by first gaining an awareness of the , motivation, and perspectives of local farmers. This study introduced palm groves tourism as a kind of agritourism in ouargla province, since it will improve the desert area's attractiveness and diversify the tourist sector.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Adel chenini, & ouled el eid bouhafs. (2024). The impact of applying the principles of Total Quality Management on the development of agricultural tourism (a field study of agricultural and tourism investments in the state of Ghardaia). 6(2), 823–846. (https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/238043).
Animalcoursesdirect. (2024). Fascinating Facts About the Benefits of Farming [Letter]. https://animalcoursesdirect.co.uk/
Arana, A. M., & Pérez Cano, M. T. (2025). Agricultural and Industrial Heritage as a Resource in Frontier Territories: The Border Between the Regions of Andalusia–Extremadura (Spain) and Alentejo (Portugal). Agriculture, 15(9), 956. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15090956
Armesto-López, X. A., Cors-Iglesias, M., & Gómez-Martín, M. B. (2025). Viewing Agrotourism in a Rural Development Context. Agriculture, 15(13), 1424. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15131424
Asian Development Bank. (2017). Promoting Logistics Development in Rural Areas (0 edn). Asian Development Bank. https://doi.org/10.22617/TCS179027Baby, J., & Kim, D.-Y. (2024). Sustainable Agritourism for Farm Profitability: Comprehensive Evaluation of Visitors’ Intrinsic Motivation, Environmental Behavior, and Satisfaction. Land, 13(9), 1466. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091466
Baby, J., & Kim, D.-Y. (2025). Segmenting Agritourism Visitors: Moving Beyond the General Market. Sustainability, 17(8), 3620. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083620
Barbieri, C., & Mshenga, P. M. (2008). The Role of the Firm and Owner Characteristics on the Performance of Agritourism Farms. Sociologia Ruralis, 48(2), 166–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9523.2008.00450.x
BAROLLI BLENDI, KUCAJ ENKELEJDA, & LUSHAJ SHERIF. (2025). Regional Revitalization in Albania: Leveraging Natural, Cultural and Food Resources for Sustainable Development. 13(8), 1077–1089. (https://euacademic.org/UploadArticle/6199.pdf).
Behera, S., Rakesh, R., & Tripathy, H. (2025). CHAPTER: 12 AGRITOURISM AND EXTENSION: FOSTERING RURAL ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION (pp. 190–207).
Bendjelid, A. (2024). Ouled Saïd, a Gourara Palm Grove: Local Development and the Reproduction of a Traditional Society. Insaniyat / إنسانيات, 103, 119–139. https://doi.org/10.4000/12io3
Berbache, H., Khaoui, M., & Hadjab, M. (2022). The oasis system in southern Algeria: A natural heritage threatened with disappearance, case of the oasis of Biskra. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 34, 588–603. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v34i1.7045
Center For International Forestry Research, P. (n.d.). CIFOR’s Poverty and Environment Network (PEN) global dataset [Data set]. https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor/data.00021
Chao, Y., Chenao, Y., Zhiyuan, Z., Yi, L., Caoying, H., Yinyao, F., & Jinrun, W. (2026). Reverse Tourism: A New Opportunity for the Sustainable Development of Rural Tourism: Rural and Regional Development, 4(3), 10016–10016. https://doi.org/10.70322/rrd.2026.10016
chickahominyfalls. (2022). The Many Health Benefits of Living the Farm Life [Letter]. https://chickahominyfalls.com/
Ciolac, R., Iancu, T., Brad, I., Popescu, G., Marin, D., & Adamov, T. (2020). Agritourism Activity—A “Smart Chance” for Mountain Rural Environment’s Sustainability. Sustainability, 12(15), 6237. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156237
Cors-Iglesias, M., Armesto-López, X. A., & Gómez-Martín, M. B. (2023). Agritourism Accommodation and the Revaluation of the Local Agrifood Product in the Context of Global Change. Land, 12(11), 2067. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112067
Dabhade (Chavan), S. R., & Kale, P. P. (2025). Role of Agriculture in Rural Development. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.15828620
Dadamoussa Mohamed Lakhdar, Boummada Abd-Elbasset, Belaroussi Med El, & Idder-Ighili Hakima. (2022). La Palmeraie du l’ksar de Ouargla entre contraintes et possibilités de réhabilitations. 8(1).
Dessalegn, M., Debevec, L., Nicol, A., & Ludi, E. (2023). A Critical Examination of Rural Out-Migration Studies in Ethiopia: Considering Impacts on Agriculture in the Sending Communities. Land, 12(1), 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010176
ELITIHAD Newspaper. (2026). Ouargla: A total share of palm cultivation of 20 thousand palm trees [Letter]. https://www.elitihadcom.dz/
ElNASER Newspaper. (2026). Ouargla: A total share of palm cultivation of 20 thousand palm trees [Letter]. https://www.annasronline.com/
Evgrafova, L. V., Ismailova, A. Z., & Kalinichev, V. (2020). Agrotourism as a factor of sustainable rural development. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 421(2), 022058. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/421/2/022058
FAO. (2025). The Date Palm in Morocco: Economic Pillar of Oases and Lever for Sustainable Development [Letter]. https://www.fao.org/maroc/news/detail/the-date-palm-in-morocco--economic-pillar-of-oases-and-lever-for-sustainable-development/en
Faye, B., Faye, H. V. M. T., Du, G., Ma, Y., Diéne, J. C., Mbaye, E., Faye, L. M. T. J., Kouadio, Y. D., Li, Y., & Seck, H. M. (2025). Rural Development and Dynamics of Enhancing Agricultural Productivity in Senegal: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications. World, 6(2), 76. https://doi.org/10.3390/world6020076
Grillini, G., Streifeneder, T., Stotten, R., Schermer, M., & Fischer, C. (2025). How tourists change farms: The impact of agritourism on organic farming adoption and local community interaction in the Tyrol-Trentino mountain region. Journal of Rural Studies, 114, 103531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103531
Haile, F., Mohamed, J. H., Aweke, C. S., & Muleta, T. T. (2025). Impact of Livelihood Diversification on Rural Households’ Food and Nutrition Security: Evidence from West Shoa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Current Developments in Nutrition, 9(1), 104521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104521
Herman, E. (2024). Sustainable Agriculture and Its Impact on the Rural Development in EU Countries: A Multivariate Analysis. Land, 13(7), 947. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070947
Jacob Jones. (2025). Dates: Civilization’s Sweetest Indulgence [Letter]. https://daily.jstor.org/date-civilizations-sweetest-indulgence/
Jęczmyk, A., Uglis, J., & Kozera-Kowalska, M. (2024). Regenerative Agritourism: Embarking on an Evolutionary Path or Going Back to Basics? Agriculture, 14(11), 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14112026
Jiao, Z., & Zhang, W. (2026). Fiscal Support for Agriculture and Agricultural Economic Resilience: Empirical Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration. Sustainability, 18(7), 3594. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18073594
Joshi, S., Sharma, M., & Singh, R. K. (2020). Performance Evaluation of Agro-tourism Clusters using AHP–TOPSIS. Journal of Operations and Strategic Planning, 3(1), 7–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516600X20928646
Kalogiannidis, S., Papadopoulou, C.-I., Loizou, E., & Chatzitheodoridis, F. (2023). Risk, Vulnerability, and Resilience in Agriculture and Their Impact on Sustainable Rural Economy Development: A Case Study of Greece. Agriculture, 13(6), 1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13061222
KHIARI Reguia, ADJLANE Sabah, & TAREK Mokhnane. (2025). Investing in Agricultural Tourism for Sustainable Environmental Development in Biskra. 19(2), 12–34. (file:///C:/Users/My%20PC/Downloads/investing-in-agricultural-tourism-for-sustainable-environmental-development-in-biskra%20(1).pdf).
Kocira, A., & Staniak, M. (2025). Role of Agriculture in Implementing the Concept of Sustainable Food System. Agriculture, 15(10), 1041. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15101041
Lalu Mohamad Iswadi Athar & Zihori Maulida. (2025). Assistance in the Development of Palm Tree-Based Creative Products as an Attraction for Agrotourism in Kekait Village. Karuna: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Multidisiplin, 2(2), 110–117. https://doi.org/10.62238/karuna.v2i2.281
Manning, L. (2024). Innovating in an Uncertain World: Understanding the Social, Technical and Systemic Barriers to Farmers Adopting New Technologies. Challenges, 15(2), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe15020032
Mannion, S. J., Ndlovu, N., McKeown, P. C., Styles, D., & Spillane, C. (2026). Cultural embeddedness and heterogeneity in farmer responses to agricultural transition in the Irish beef suckler sector. Journal of Rural Studies, 126, 104251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104251
McCluney, K. E., Deviche, P., Sweazea, K. L., Carlen, E. J., Clark, J. A. G., Grade, A. M., Haight, J. D., Niesner, C., Trego, S., & Weiss, K. C. B. (2026). An integrated social–ecological–evolutionary–phenotypic ( SEEP ) approach to understanding animal responses to urbanization. Biological Reviews, 101(1), 419–436. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70088
McGehee, N. G., & Kim, K. (2004). Motivation for Agri-Tourism Entrepreneurship. Journal of Travel Research, 43(2), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287504268245
Meghana, N., Singh, R., Barman, B., Quader, S. W., & Praveen, K. V. (2026). Agro-tourism supporting sustainable livelihoods from income generation to environmental sustainability. Cleaner Food Systems, 4, 100058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clfs.2026.100058
Miaris, G., Manevska-Tasevska, G., & Hansson, H. (2025). Farm diversification strategies and their relations to farm financial performance: Evidence from Swedish agriculture. Agricultural Finance Review, 85(1), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.1108/AFR-04-2023-0051
Mokhnane Tarek, ADJLANE Sabah, & Khiari Reguia. (2025). The cultural heritage of Biskra province as a strategic leverage for activating sustainable agricultural tourism. 18(2), 1–6. (http://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/PresentationRevue/102).
Moulogianni, C., & Bournaris, T. (2021). Assessing the Impacts of Rural Development Plan Measures on the Sustainability of Agricultural Holdings Using a PMP Model. Land, 10(5), 446. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10050446
Mura, L., & Ključnikov, A. (2018). Small Businesses in Rural Tourism and Agrotourism: Study from Slovakia. Economics & Sociology, 11(3), 286–300. https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-789X.2018/11-3/17
Mustafa, S., Fidjah, A., Mebitil, N., & Abdedaim, K. (2024). The role of tourism in the promotion of traditional products and the development of the economy. Brazilian Journal of Business, 6(3), e72214. https://doi.org/10.34140/bjbv6n3-016
Niko Simos. (2023). Agritourism: Agriculture and Tourism’s Symbiosis [Letter]. https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2023/5/1/agritourism-agriculture-and-tourisms-symbiosis
Nina Mistriani, John J.O.I. Ihalauw, & Sony Heru Priyanto. (2024). Three Main Pillars of Agrotourism Success in Lerep Tourism Village: Farmer Groups, Pokdarwis, and BUMDes. Proceeding of The International Global Tourism Science and Vocational Education, 1(2), 99–112. https://doi.org/10.62951/icgtsave.v1i2.31
Ohe, Y., & Kurihara, S. (2013). Evaluating the complementary relationship between local brand farm products and rural tourism: Evidence from Japan. Tourism Management, 35, 278–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.07.003
Partalidou, M.; De, & Matteis, L.; (2024). Sustainable agritourism: An opportunity for agrifood systems transformation in the Mediterranean. , FAO. https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/cc416874-fe47-47c7-83c9-783d1a4e7190
Patterson, I., & Aslam, M. U. (2024). Agritourism as an Emerging Sustainable Tourism Industry in Uzbekistan. Sustainability, 16(17), 7519. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177519
Pawłowska-Tyszko, J., & Drożdż, J. (2026). Financialisation of Food Industry Enterprises. Sustainability, 18(2), 824. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020824
Peroff, D. M., Morais, D. B., & Sills, E. (2022). The Role of Agritourism Microentrepreneurship and Collective Action in Shaping Stewardship of Farmlands. Sustainability, 14(13), 8116. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14138116
Phillip, S., Hunter, C., & Blackstock, K. (2010). A typology for defining agritourism. Tourism Management, 31(6), 754–758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2009.08.001
Popescu, C. A., Iancu, T., Popescu, G., Adamov, T., & Ciolac, R. (2023). The Impact of Agritourism Activity on the Rural Environment: Findings from an Authentic Agritourist Area—Bukovina, Romania. Sustainability, 15(13), 10294. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310294
Rachel Antoni. (2026). [Letter]. https://villagemonde.com/en/agrotourism-discovering-a-destination-in-a-different-way/
Saepudin, P., Putra, F. K. K., Hernowo, A., Maemunah, I., & Dianawati, N. (2022). Community-Based Agritourism: A Qualitative Research of the Impacts, Opportunities, and Constraints in a Tourist Village. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, 13(8), 2320. https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v13.8(64).24
Samantha Rozier Rich, Kate Standish, Kate Standish, Carla Barbieri, & Suzanne Ainley. (2016). The Current State of Agritourism Research in the United States. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/bc695900-4397-4d3b-8e49-adae67142bdd/content
Santosh, Priyanka, Preeti, & Madhu Priya. (2024). The Rise of Agritourism: An overview of Trends, Impacts and Future Prospects. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.13133386
Sharma, S., Maisnam, G., Thangjam, D., Choudhary, R., Kirbag, S., Sushkova, S., & Assouguem, A. (2025). Agritourism as a catalyst for sustainable rural development: Exploring its multifunctional prospects. CABI Reviews, 0068. https://doi.org/10.1079/cabireviews.2025.0068
Şimşek, Ö. (2025). Harvesting sustainability: Innovations and practices in modern agriculture. Green Technologies and Sustainability, 3(3), 100192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.grets.2025.100192
Sznajder, M., Przezbórska, L., & Scrimgeour, F. (Eds). (2009). Agritourism (1st edn). CABI. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781845934828.0000
Thao, D. T. (2025). THE EVOLUTION OF AGRITOURISM: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCING FACTOR. Hue University Journal of Science: Economics and Development, 134(5D). https://doi.org/10.26459/hueunijed.v134i5D.7770
Turtureanu, A.-G., Crețu, C.-M., Pripoaie, R., Marinescu, E. Ștefan, Sîrbu, C.-G., & Talaghir, L.-G. (2025). Sustainable Development Through Agritourism and Rural Tourism: Research Trends and Future Perspectives in the Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Period. Sustainability, 17(9), 3998. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17093998
urbapalms. (2018). The great fortress of the Palm Grove of Elche. Its plant diversity [Letter]. https://www.urbapalms.com/en/blog/the-great-fortress-of-the-palm-grove-of-elche-its-plant-diversity-5.html
Vukolić, D., Gajić, T., Petrović, M. D., Bugarčić, J., Spasojević, A., Veljović, S., Vuksanović, N., Bugarčić, M., Zrnić, M., Knežević, S., Rakić, S. R., Drašković, B. D., & Petrović, T. (2023). Development of the Concept of Sustainable Agro-Tourism Destinations—Exploring the Motivations of Serbian Gastro-Tourists. Sustainability, 15(3), 2839. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032839
Vukolić, D., Radišić, M., Radišić, M., Pevac, D., Milošević, S., & Gajić, T. (2025). The Role of Food Safety in Sustainable Gastronomic Tourism: Insights from Farm-Stay Tourist Experiences. Agriculture, 15(18), 1966. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15181966
Xu, P., Mu, H., Shao, J., & Yuan, Y. (2025). Multiple Paths of Rural Transformation and Its Driving Mechanisms Under the Perspective of Rural–Urban Continuum: Taking Suzhou, China as an Example. Land, 14(6), 1145. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061145
Yang, Q., Gao, Y., Yang, X., & Zhang, J. (2022). Rural Transformation Driven by Households’ Adaptation to Climate, Policy, Market, and Urbanization: Perspectives from Livelihoods–Land Use on Chinese Loess Plateau. Agriculture, 12(8), 1111. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12081111
Yulia Dubinyuk, & Tetyana Kalna-Dubinyuk. (2025). Agritourism in the World and its Prospects for the United States. (https://www.card.iastate.edu/files/publications/pdf/25WP672.pdf).
Zagaria, C., Schulp, C. J. E., Kizos, T., & Verburg, P. H. (2018). Perspectives of farmers and tourists on agricultural abandonment in east Lesvos, Greece. Regional Environmental Change, 18(5), 1467–1479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-017-1276-4
Zeqiri, A. (2024). From Traditional to Digital: The Evolution of Business Models in Hospitality Through Platforms. Platforms, 2(4), 221–233. https://doi.org/10.3390/platforms2040015
Zhang, Q. F. (2024). From Sustainable Agriculture to Sustainable Agrifood Systems: A Comparative Review of Alternative Models. Sustainability, 16(22), 9675. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229675
Zhang, Y., & Duan, X. (2026). How Rural Labor Aging Affects Agricultural Productive Service Development: Threshold Effects and the Transmission Mechanism of Inefficient Cultivated Land Scale Management. Sustainability, 18(15), 8021. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18158021
Živojinović, I., Ludvig, A., & Hogl, K. (2019). Social Innovation to Sustain Rural Communities: Overcoming Institutional Challenges in Serbia. Sustainability, 11(24), 7248. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11247248