Abstract
The purpose of this research is to analyze tourism in Timimoun, an Algerian Saharan oasis, theater of remarkable socio-spatial mutations. Inhabited, urbanized, mediatized, and recently "touristified", Timimoun is a territory of impressive geographical complexity. Its various fragilities have led us to question tourism under the prism of sustainability. Through a multidimensional and systemic approach of sustainable tourism, our ambition is to articulate tourist attractiveness, sustainability and governance, with a view to anticipate its effects and propose a method to think about new strategies for effective and sustainable development of tourism in Timimoun. The reflection carried out aims, on the one hand, to understand the reasons for the still limited tourist development of Timimoun, despite certain assets, such as a rich tangible and intangible heritage, or the possibility to quickly and easily serve Europe, the first source of tourists. On the other hand, its authenticity and its strong typicity, make it possible to meet the new requirements of the tourist: the search for exotic experiences and the confrontation with otherness. We take a critical look at it to draw up an inventory of its tourist attractiveness and the sustainability of the activities and policies initiated in favour of its development, as well as the effects that its evolution is likely to generate. This allows us to show that tourism is an activity neglected by the Algerian public authorities. In spite of the government's stated willingness to diversify the economy, it remains based almost exclusively on the production and sale of hydrocarbons. In the tourism sector, this policy results in poor tourist and leisure facilities, a lack of professionalism and a policy that is not very advantageous in terms of tourist investment. Without denying or underestimating the opportunities and positive effects of tourism, particularly in the marginalized Saharan territories, this thesis explores its equivocal environmental, social and cultural effects, both current and potential. This research is based on an exploratory methodology mobilizing qualitative and quantitative research methods: participant observation, field surveys by questionnaire, semi-directive interviews, immersion in local society and a review of multidisciplinary literature crossing various disciplines: cultural and social geography, history, political and organizational sociology, ethnology.