Modernisation of Thermal Tourism and its Contribution to Local Development in Mountainous Areas. The Case of Ouled Tebbene, From Setif Province, Algeria

Warda Boukebbal, Ilyas Bensedira, Fouzia Boudjemline

Abstract


Thermal tourism constitutes a promising developmental alternative for isolated mountainous regions. However, the impact of modernizing this sector on local development remains insufficiently analyzed within the Algerian context. Consequently, this study aims to evaluate the contribution of modernizing thermal complexes to the local development of the mountainous municipality of Ouled Tebbene (Southern Setif Province). The methodological approach relied on a field survey utilizing a questionnaire administered to 275 visitors, complemented by semi-structured interviews with sector officials and a statistical analysis of socio-economic development indicators covering the period 2015-2024. The findings indicate that the modernization of thermal tourism has effectively stimulated tourist flows and generated employment opportunities. Nevertheless, the study reveals the persistence of high unemployment rates and a continuous decline in net migration, suggesting that reliance on thermal tourism as a standalone strategy is insufficient to address the deep-rooted structural imbalances inherent to mountainous territories.

Keywords: isolated areas, visitors, employment opportunities, Ouled Tebbene, Algeria

© 2026 Serbian Geographical Society, Belgrade, Serbia.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Serbia.


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