Toward viable and responsible tourism in Algeria: exploring the challenges and success factors of sustainable ecotourism entrepreneurship

This study examines the challenges and success factors for sustainable ecotourism entrepreneurship in Algeria, addressing a gap in North African responsible tourism research. Algeria's ecological and cultural heritage offers ecotourism potential as global tourism emphasises sustainability. Qualitative interviews with 21 stakeholders reveal bureaucracy, limited finance, skills gaps, and inadequate infrastructure as key challenges. Success drivers include entrepreneurs' sustainability motivation, community engagement, and institutional champions. Strategic collaboration and legitimacy-building are crucial. The study recommends streamlining bureaucracy, fostering collaborative governance, and developing certification programmes, contributing to sustainable development debates in emerging economies. This study fills a gap and proposes a roadmap for advancing ecotourism entrepreneurship in Algeria.