The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is expected to introduce a unified visa that would allow tourists to visit all six member-countries, which are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
Najeeb Al-Shaamesi, director general of the Higher Advisory Commission at the GCC, told a local newspaper that a consultative committee had stressed the need for a unified GCC tourist visa to promote tourism in the Gulf region.
“The next meeting of the commission, with members of the consultative committee, will approve the final recommendations, which will then be submitted to the GCC leadership for ratification at the summit in the Qatari capital,” Al-Shaamesi told the newspaper.
A study recently investigated the economic and technical viability of such a visa and recommended that the GCC summit approves it. Once approved, it would allow a tourist to use the visa issued in one GCC nation to visit all the others.
High-ranking business leaders and travel and tourism experts welcomed the proposal.
“This will be like a Schengen visa that allows a traveler to visit most of the European countries with a single visa,” said Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, a Shoura Council member and former chairman of the Asharqia Chamber. “It is a welcome step and will ease tourist travel across the region. It will provide a much-needed boost for the tourism industry.”
Dammam-based travel industry veteran Abdullah Abu Khamseen described it as a step in the right direction. “This will help promote the region as a good travel destination,” he said… see more
source: arabnews
Tags: GCC tourists, laws, Unified Visa
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