Abu Dhabi: A unified tourist visa for GCC countries will be issued “soon”, UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri has revealed.
Speaking during the first session of the second day of the Future of Hospitality Summit as part of the Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism Week activities, Al Marri said the new unified visa system would allow tourists to visit several GCC countries, a move that is expected to greatly contribute to the GCC’s attractiveness to tourists from around the world.
The idea of a single Schengen-style tourist visa for the Gulf countries has been proposed before in a bid to further boost the number of visitors to the bloc.
This comes within the framework of integrating tourism strategies among the GCC countries. Al Marri said: “Supporting tourism in one GCC country is considered supporting tourism in all GCC countries.”
International tourists
The minister said that about 70 per cent of visitors to the Emirates are international tourists from outside the country, while domestic tourism accounts for the remaining 30 per cent.
The official stressed that the tourism sector in the country has achieved continuous growth, with all the necessary elements and supporting infrastructure in place.
The minister said that the contribution of the tourism and aviation sectors to the country’s gross domestic product has risen to 30 per cent, noting that the 2-1/2-day weekend system in the Emirates has greatly supported the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors.
He noted that the UAE aims to achieve GDP growth of 7 per cent and double the size of the economy to $3 trillion by 2030. This will require significant growth in all sectors of the economy.
85% increase in visitors to Abu Dhabi
For his part, Abdullah Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral Group, told the summit that the entertainment city on Yas Island witnessed a remarkable 85 per cent increase in visitors last summer compared to the same period in 2022.
“Last summer witnessed an outstanding level of performance in terms of guests and hotel occupancy, surpassing previous years,” he added.
He pointed out that the International Association of Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions expects visitor spending in this important sector in the UAE to reach $609 million, an increase of 128 per cent compared to $266 million four years ago.
Al Zaabi stressed that “Yas Island has not only experienced growth, but has undergone a complete transformation to become a global destination that attracts tourists from around the world, noting that “Miral” has developed an integrated destination that offers experiences related to entertainment and business tourism from around the world”.
He said that “the hospitality sector in the Middle East and Africa region is witnessing amazing growth and major expansions in the current period”.
