A single common GCC tourist visa will be introduced by 2025, according to an interview with Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, the UAE’s Minister of Economy carried by the state news agency, wam.
The Schengen-style visa will allow holders to travel to the six Gulf countries.
The news comes after the single tourism visa was unanimously approved by all GCC states during the regional ministers’ meeting in Oman on October 5.
First, the common tourism visa will be proposed this November at a meeting of regional interior ministers at the GCC summit. Then, the roll-out of the GCC unified tourism visa will take place once specific regulations and legislation are developed. Subject to all the country’s internal systems being ready, it’s set to launch between 2024 and 2025, the Minister of Economy told Wam.
With the launch of a GCC common tourism visa, visitors to the region would be able to use a single tourism visa to visit all six GCC states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. So, ticking off several destinations on a regional trip looks like it’s set to be even easier within the next two years.
“This initiative is an integral part of the GCC 2030 tourism strategy, designed to elevate the tourism sector’s contribution to the GDP through increased inter-GCC travel and elevated hotel occupancy rates, transforming the GCC into a pre-eminent global destination for both regional and international tourists,” the UAE Minister added.
Speaking in September during the Future Hospitality in Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s Minister of Economy previously said that a GCC-wide tourism visa would not only simplify travel but also boost tourism in the region, as per The National.
Al-Marri highlighted the GCC countries’ sophisticated travel and tourism infrastructure. The countries boasted a total of 10,649 hotel establishments by the end of 2022, with Saudi Arabia having the highest number of facilities.
He added that the GCC countries’ joint tourism strategy for 2023-2030 was aiming for an annual increase of 7 percent in inbound travel to the region.
The number of visitors to GCC countries reached 39.8 million last year, representing a 136.6 percent increase over 2021.
