DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is exploring plans for a liberal visa system that would simplify travel for residents to neighboring Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia.
According to Economy Minister Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri who spoke at a conference in Abu Dhabi, the visa system will enable Gulf Cooperation Council residents to enjoy unrestricted travel across member countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“Hopefully, we are going to see something around a pan-GCC visa, which will allow easier mobility of people within the GCC. A resident of Saudi (Arabia), for instance, can enter the UAE and vice versa. I think that’s where we see the future of GCC tourism,” he said at the Future Hospitality Summit.
The minister also commented on the vast tourism and hospitality sector infrastructure established in the emirates which ensures that when such a system is implemented the country will be ready for it.
“The UAE has built an infrastructure to really accommodate all these types of tourism over the years,” he explained and hastened to add that the growth has always been organic.
Commenting on the infrastructure development projects being taken up by countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the minister said competition makes people innovate.
The Gulf Cooperation Council is made up of six countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. The countries share regional goals related to prosperity and development but are sometimes at opposite ends of the aisle as well.
Earlier in May, Fatima Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism in Bahrain confirmed that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries were exploring the option to launch a ‘Schengen-style” visa for tourists which will make it easier for visitors to enter into the countries and spend vacations there.
Speaking during the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, she said that the unified visa system could be happening very soon.
“We targeted 8.3 million tourists for 2022 but achieved 9.9 million visitors because we co-promoted Bahrain along with the UAE and other GCC markets. It resulted in an increased number of tourists. When we co-promoted at a unified destination through 100-plus tour operators, the footfall also increased and the diversity of nationalities of tourists also increased,” she said.
