The ‘unified tourism visa’ or single visa system has been approved by the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC countries. As a result, a new era has begun in a very important economic sector.
In a report on Thursday, November 9, the report said, after the 40th meeting of GCC ministers in Oman recently, Jassim Al Budawi, Secretary General of the organization, announced the approval of the single visa system.
The system is said to be in place across the six-nation bloc between 2024 and 2025. And once it is launched, one can travel to six GCC countries – United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.
After the announcement, Jassim Al Budawi said that the Unified Gulf Tourist Visa is a project that will contribute to facilitating and streamlining the movement of residents and tourists between the six countries of the GCC. It will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the economic and tourism sectors as well.
Earlier, UAE Finance Minister Abdullah bin Tauq said last month that the unified visa is one of the key elements in meeting the 2030 goals of the GCC. It aims to set the wheels of the economy in motion through the tourism sector.
Through this new initiative, the GCC wants to increase the number of tourists in these six countries of the Middle East to 120 million by 2030.
According to HSBC, the tourism sector in the Middle East is in good shape despite the poor conditions of the global economy. The income from this sector has increased especially in the post-corona period.
GCC’s unified or single visa system will be a ‘game changer’ for the Middle East, economic analysts believe.
