Other BriefingsUnified Gulf Cooperation Council Visas To Be Implemented Soon
Unified Gulf Cooperation Council Visas To Be Implemented Soon
The UAE Minister of Economy, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, has said that the issuance of a unified tourist visas for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will happen soon.
Al Marri said during the first session of the second day of the Future of Hospitality Summit within the activities of Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism Week that the new unified visa system would allow tourists to visit all GCC countries, a move expected to greatly contribute to the GCC countries’ attractiveness to tourists from all over the world. The GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The idea of single Schengen-type tourist visa for Gulf countries has been proposed earlier in a move aimed to help further boost visitor numbers to the bloc. Al Marri said “This comes within the framework of integrating tourism strategies among the GCC countries. Supporting tourism in any GCC country is considered supporting tourism in all GCC countries.”
The Minister said that about 70% of visitors to the Emirates comes from international tourists coming from outside the country, while domestic tourism accounts for the remaining 30%.
Al Marri said that the tourism sector in the UAE has achieved continuous growth, with the availability of all necessary elements and support infrastructure in place. He stated that the tourism and aviation sectors in the UAE now account for 30% of the total national GDP, noting that the 2-1/2-day weekend system in the Emirates has greatly supported the the tourism, hospitality and retail trade sectors.
He pointed out that the UAE aims to achieve GDP growth of 7% per annum and double the size of the economy to US$3 trillion by 2030. This, he said, requires substantial growth across all sectors of the economy with tourism a key pillar of this strategy.
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