The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are aiming to implement a unified tourist visa, similar to that of the Schengen bloc, by the end of the year, the chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, has confirmed at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
A proposal for a unified travel visa, called “GCC Grand Tours”, was first made in May 2023. In October, the GCC states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) approved the creation of the GCC Grand Tours. Then, Oman’s Minister of Heritage and Tourism, Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrooq confirmed the measure in December, while UAE’s Minister of Economy, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, has called it a “significant move to simplify travel logistics and support tourism” at the Travel Market.
In a significant move to simplify travel logistics and support tourism, the Gulf Cooperation Council has given the green light for a unified tourist visa that will allow travellers to visit all six countries.
Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy
According to Al Marri, once all the procedures are finalised, the GCC Grand Tours “will allow tourists to spend more than 30 days in the region”. Making travel to the region more affordable as well as more convenient, the minister expects the new visa scheme will greatly increase tourist numbers, but also foster the development of business and the economy overall.
Moreover, one of main goals of the unified visa is to encourage tourist to stay for longer visits. “In leisure, people can travel up to four weeks. We want them to combine their holidays across the GCC”, said Al Midfa. He also suggested that, based on the purpose of travel, for leisure or business, different packages, including promotion portfolios, could be implemented.
Although a unified visa is similar to the one available across Schengen, Al Midfa distinguished between the driving factors of the European and Gulf initiatives, with the former started from “socio-political or socio-economical” objectives, while the latter is tourism driven. “So, we have to access it differently for people to access GCC countries”, he explained.
In 2023, travel and tourism generated 11.7% of the UAE’s GDP, with forecasts for this year going slightly higher, at 12%, counting Dh236 billion (€60 billion). However, with the GCC Grand Tours, UAE authorities are projecting around 128.7 million visitors.
