According to Oman’s Minister of Heritage and Tourism, Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrooqi, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments have unanimously accepted a unified tourist visa.
The Schengen-style visa will make regional travel easier. While no formal implementation date has been set, the plan will be presented in November in Muscat at a gathering of regional interior ministers.
The visa will be issued after all of the appropriate systems are in place. Visitors will be able to utilise a single visa to visit all six GCC countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, streamlining regional travel.
This programme is anticipated to not only make travel easier, but also to increase tourism throughout the GCC.