Schengen in the Arabian Desert -- GCC single visa is coming soon
Business
Unified tourist visa being introduced by the year-end as a first step
DUBAI (Web Desk) – The six GCC member states will have a unified visa, thus replicating Schengen to boost their stature on the international stage and attract visitors while doing away with restrictions that hinder free movement.
The reason is simple: The oil-rich Gulf States – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Oman – are aiming high. They aren’t going to wait until exhausting their fossil fuel reserves. In fact, they are using their existing resources for economic diversification and minimise dependence on Black Gold while making the region a global economic hub.
It is the great success achieved by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), meaning there is a guide, a precedent that can be followed.
Hence came the Vision 2030 presented by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who has already transformed the kingdom and is going even further to the levels not even imagined some years ago.
Read more: MBS has transformed Saudi Arabia, he is an inspiration: Shehbaz Sharif
It was in November 2023 that a GCC meeting held in Oman decided to give the Schengen concept a practical shape in the Gulf States which are now working swiftly to materialise the plan.
And the single GCC tourist visa is the first step to be implemented by the year-end – a move that will allow the visitors to explore all the six countries through the unified document.
The move will boost ‘bleisure’ (business-leisure) travel in the region, as put by the Khaleej Times, given the fact that the visitors will increasingly mix the two to extend their trips to explore the neighbouring countries.
It is a natural outcome of the plans being executed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – commonly known as MBS – who ensuring economic transformation at a breakneck speed while focusing on manufacturing, green energy, tourism and entertainment.
Read more: Is there any lesson for Pakistan to learn from Saudi Arabia?
With more and more cities in the region attracting more and more visitors, including business leaders and entrepreneurs, the single visa has become a need for these states.
