Algeria's desert glories dazzle, for a few

By Abdelaziz Boumzar

TIMIMOUN, Algeria (Reuters) - Saharan sand dunes stretch to the horizon at this oasis town of red clay where visitors can ride camels with Tuareg nomads and sleep on dunes under the stars.

Timimoun should be easy to get to, but it isn't. It offers few comforts after a long, arduous journey. But those few tourists who make it here value its remoteness.

"Only a few tourists are here compared to Morocco -- which is very good," said Marene Nordal from Norway, enjoying the isolation 1,200 km (750 miles) southwest of the capital Algiers.

Local people are less appreciative of their region's "undiscovered" cachet.

They want more hotels and better transport links, and say Timimoun's isolation reflects a wider failure to promote the cultural and scenic glories of Africa's second largest country.

"The more tourists we get the better because it will boost the local economy," said M'hamed Asmiti, 63, who runs a handicraft shop in Kali, 30 km (20 miles) from Timimoun.

"Tourism could reduce unemployment. One tourist feeds 12 people here per day," said tourism operator Mustafa Djebaili.

Algeria receives just 1.4 million visitors annually and most of them are Algerians back from France on holiday. Neighbors Tunisia and Morocco each welcome 6 million foreigners a year.