The proposed unified tourist visa system for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — has been unanimously accepted, ushering in a new era in the critical economic sector.
GCC Secretary-General Jassim Al Budaiwi announced the system, which is expected to take effect between 2024 and 2025 across the six-nation bloc, on November 9 (Thursday) at the 40th GCC interior ministers’ meeting in Oman.
He said the decision is expected to streamline travel logistics and support “continuous communication and coordination” between GCC states. The National mentionted.
“The unified Gulf tourist visa is a project that will help facilitate and streamline the movement of residents and tourists between the six GCC countries and will undoubtedly have a positive [impact] in the economic and tourism sectors,” said Al Budaiwi.
In order to “contribute to the fight [its] scourge,” said Al Budaiwi, the council also approved the electronic linking of traffic offenses between GCC states and is currently developing a comprehensive strategy to combat illegal drugs.
Recently, UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq highlighted the single visa as a key component of the GCC 2030 tourism strategy, aiming to boost the sector’s economic contribution through increased regional travel and higher hotel occupancy rates.
The UAE aims to increase its number of visitors to 128.7 million by 2030, a 137% increase from the 39.8 million recorded in 2021.
The total number of hotels in the region reached 10,649 by the end of last year, an increase of 1.2% from 2016. The UAE, with 1,114 hotels, ranks second in the region after Saudi Arabia, according to bin Touq.
According to HSBC, the Middle East’s tourism sector experienced the strongest post-coronavirus recovery globally, with a “broad recovery” in tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2023, despite global economic challenges, particularly in the Arab economies of Saudi Arabia and the UAE .
Industry players are predicting a major tourism program in the GCC bloc, highlighting an untapped market due to visa restrictions that have prevented travelers from reaching some countries.
A single GCC tourist visa will be a “fantastic development” for tourism in the region, making it more attractive to visitors and businesses, Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said. The National Last week.
“The more cities that are on the tourism map that encourage people to visit the Middle East, the better people’s perception of the region,” Griffiths said.
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