Unified Tourist Visas For GCC Countries

26 Aug 2013

According to an official of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), it is moving toward a single visa for tourists in the region. GCC’s assistant secretary-general for economic matters, Abdullah Al-Shobaily, told Al-Hayat daily that the GCC is currently striving to set up a computer system to exchange data in order to help the issuance of a unified tourist visa for the entire region.

However, Al-Shobaily did not specify when the GCC would start using this single unified tourist visa. The unified visa would simplify travel formalities for international visitors, which in turn would promote tourism in the region.

Al-Shobaily said that hammering out an agreement between the 6 GCC member-states needs the completion of many technical and other formalities. It also includes the installation of an information exchange system between government departments in the member-states.

He added that during a recent sitting of the Gulf Tourism Committee of the Federation of Gulf Cooperation Council Chambers and the Tourism Cooperation Committee of the GCC and in Fujairah, the matter was discussed in detail.

Al-Shobaily said the unified GCC laws against consumer protection and commercial fraud are in their final stage. He insisted that the laws would be implemented to protect the rights of importers and exporters, distributors, manufacturers, consumers, as well as the economies of the GCC.

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