The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE – are making swift progress in their joint efforts to promote regional tourism, with plans to implement a unified Gulf tourist visa regime.
Speaking on the opening day of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) on Monday, Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE’s minister of economy, said the unified Gulf tourist visa would be named, GCC Grand Tours.
The GCC plans to implement a unified Gulf tourist visa regime (Photo: Rohit Kaul)
“With the introduction of GCC Grand Tours, we anticipate that tourists will stay in the region for over 30 days,” he said.
The new visa regime is expected to be introduced by the end of 2024 or early 2025.
The private sector is also urged to create tours that would entice tourists to explore multiple destinations within the region.
“Working in collaboration with other GCC states allows us to tap into a larger market and offer a more diverse product that would definitely keep this region in a better competitive position. We have started working with a number of GCC countries on either joint packages or joint marketing campaigns,” revealed Azzan Al Busaidi, undersecretary of tourism, Oman Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.
Saudi Arabia has announced cooperation with Qatar, Oman and Bahrain on joint marketing campaigns and packages. Other GCC destinations will follow suit.
Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said travellers today desire “a variety of products”, and noted that the GCC region would benefit from targeting both leisure and business event travellers. Work is underway with “the biggest tour operators” to push regional travel packages.
The GCC nations are also improving infrastructure to enhance the traveller experience, such as establishing a rail network.
Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO, Saudi Tourism Authority, said “having a railway system that connects the GCC countries will be a game changer” in facilitating intra-regional tourism.
“However, we should not look at the rail network from just a point-to-point connectivity perspective. The focus should be on creating an experience that is entertaining and gives a feel of a desert cruise (on rails),” he added.
The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE – are making swift progress in their joint efforts to promote regional tourism, with plans to implement a unified Gulf tourist visa regime.
Speaking on the opening day of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) on Monday, Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE’s minister of economy, said the unified Gulf tourist visa would be named, GCC Grand Tours.
“With the introduction of GCC Grand Tours, we anticipate that tourists will stay in the region for over 30 days,” he said.
The new visa regime is expected to be introduced by the end of 2024 or early 2025.
The private sector is also urged to create tours that would entice tourists to explore multiple destinations within the region.
“Working in collaboration with other GCC states allows us to tap into a larger market and offer a more diverse product that would definitely keep this region in a better competitive position. We have started working with a number of GCC countries on either joint packages or joint marketing campaigns,” revealed Azzan Al Busaidi, undersecretary of tourism, Oman Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.
Saudi Arabia has announced cooperation with Qatar, Oman and Bahrain on joint marketing campaigns and packages. Other GCC destinations will follow suit.
Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said travellers today desire “a variety of products”, and noted that the GCC region would benefit from targeting both leisure and business event travellers. Work is underway with “the biggest tour operators” to push regional travel packages.
The GCC nations are also improving infrastructure to enhance the traveller experience, such as establishing a rail network.
Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO, Saudi Tourism Authority, said “having a railway system that connects the GCC countries will be a game changer” in facilitating intra-regional tourism.
“However, we should not look at the rail network from just a point-to-point connectivity perspective. The focus should be on creating an experience that is entertaining and gives a feel of a desert cruise (on rails),” he added.