The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are preparing to launch a common tourist visa modelled on the existing Schengen visa. in the European Union. The idea, initially launched in 2021, has been approved by six GCC countries: Saudi ArabiaBahrain, the United Arab EmiratesKuwait, Oman and Qatar. The interior ministers of the six countries concerned unanimously adopted the resolution at the end of 2023 in Oman.
The plan is to introduce visas for leisure and business tourists only. Such a measure will be a a huge step forward for business travellers in the region, as it will remove the requirement to obtain separate visas to travel to these six countries and reduce costs. A common visa will facilitate intra-regional travel, stimulating MICE activities in particular. The visa should be valid for a period of 30 days. It will be available online.
The launch of this GCC visa has no precise timetable yet. The most optimistic observers are talking about an official launch later this year - probably in the second half of the year. On the other hand, the most pessimistic are talking about a launch in 2025. A number of technical details remain to be resolved: visa reader compatibility in the immigration systems of the six countries, agreement on the price of the visa, integration of safety data to limit fraudulent use or the movement of undesirable travellers.
Tourism in 2023 above pre-Covid levels
This second regional visa will boost tourism, which is already booming in the region. Indeed, according to initial estimates by UNWTO, the UN's tourism agency, thehe Middle East was the only region in the world to record a higher number of tourists in 2023 than in 2019. This last year serves as a benchmark, since it corresponds to the period before the Covid pandemic. UNWTO estimates that with 87.1 million international arrivalsthe region has seen growth of 22.1% compared with 2019.
The GCC States did even better. With 61.5 million arrivals, they saw growth of 28.9% compared with 2019. L'Saudi Arabia has boosted tourism in the CCGs. With 27 million international arrivals by 2023the country has seen an increase of 156% compared with 2019. Dubai followed with 17.15 million touristsThis is 2.5% more than its record for 2019 (16.73 million tourists). Qatar also recorded the highest number of tourists in the last 5 yearsor 4 million arrivals in 2023.
