It is now time for GCC residents to celebrate, as the Schengen-style GCC tourist visa is about to be launched at the end of December 2024. This long-awaited development was confirmed during the 40th meeting of GCC ministers in Oman, where it was unanimously approved by the six-member states: All these countries include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.
Boosting Regional Tourism
The new visa will enable tourists to move from one GCC country to the other without the need to obtain a new visa and will also enable multiple entries in the Gulf region. This initiative should greatly increase tourism as it will be easier for tourists like Mariam and thousands of others to tour different destinations in each member state.
TTW Founder and CEO Mr. Anup Kumar Keshan explained the significance of this as he said, ‘’This development is highly anticipated’. Having driven the length of coastal possible from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia in the last six GCC countries is a celebration of the visa’s arrival.
Economic and Tourism Impact
GCC tourist visa scheme is forecast to further increase visitors and tourism receipts to the region’s enormous economies. Dubai’s tourism industry continues to be on the rise and more so is expected to win even more tourists from across the world as the number of travellers accessing the country will be higher than last year.
Managing Transboundary Travel in the Gulf.
The GCC visa inspired by the Schengen visa system that was initiated in 1995 in Europe and now incorporated 25 countries is another step towards simplifying and minimizing the issue of visas. This will not only be convenient for travelling but also for extended stays and more extensive exploration of the Gulf regions.
However the details of the new visa charge has not been released yet but the curiosity around its implementation hints at a good future for tourism in the GCC. This means that the single visa will definitely offer new avenues for cultural interactions, economic development, and more regional development.
Travelers and residents are quickly counting down the time until the sparking debut of the GCC tourist visa heralds a new era of visa liberalization and the region’s shared identity.
