ALGIERS – Sunday, 18 June 2023 (APS) – The Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Mokhtar Didouche opened Saturday the International Handicrafts Show in Algiers, with the participation of more than 290 craftsmen from various provinces and 57 others from 15 countries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of this edition, which will run until June 24 at Riadh El-Fath esplanade, the Minister stressed the importance of this event, which coincides with the start of the summer season, pointing out that handicrafts today account for a range of activities providing over 1.2 million jobs.
Emphasizing the need to label traditional national products to protect them from counterfeiting, Didouche said that the show, attended by craftsmen from Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Turkey, Ukraine, Pakistan, Mali, Niger, and Senegal, was an opportunity to showcase domestic products and exchange experiences.
This year, for the first time, a special pavilion has been set aside for children, to enable them to learn more about the craft industry, and instill in them a culture of preserving authentic traditional heritage, he stressed.
The Minister of Tourism visited the various stands at the show, in the presence of a number of members of the government and representatives of the various sectors concerned, and noted the concerns of craftsmen, who highlighted “the need to provide them with raw materials.”