According to the president of Dubai Airports, plans for just one GCC tourist visa will be a “fantastic development” for the industry, increasing the region’s appeal to tourists and businesses.
Paul Griffiths, the CEO of state-owned the United Arab Emirates Airports, which is told The National newspaper while on the fringes of the global summit of the World Tourism and Travel Council in Rwanda that “it’s one of those pillars in the tourism arsenal which will be bigger than the whole of its parts.”
“The Middle East as a whole will become more appealing and attract more businesses as tourism develops in other countries.”
The head of the busiest airport in the world by volume of foreign travel said he was frequently questioned about competition from Saudi Arabia, a neighbor.
Nonetheless, he cited the development of tourism in Europe, where visitors frequently visit multiple destinations in one journey.
Additionally, there are a wide variety of sights and activities to enjoy in the Middle East. The challenge, of obviously, is that Middle Eastern tourism isn’t even close to reaching its full potential in comparison to European tourism, according to Mr. Griffiths.
“And it will be better for every single country within the GCC the more Middle Eastern locations that can be added to the’must-sees’ on the tourism map.”
According to him, people’s impressions of the Middle East will improve the more places that appear on the tourist map that entice travelers to travel there.
The goal of creating a single, united tourist visa system is to facilitate travel inside the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and increase tourism. It is planned for the new system to go live in 2024 or 2025.
The action is a major component of the GCC 2030 tourism plan, which aims to boost hotel occupancy rates and regional visitation to raise the sector’s economic contribution.
By 2030, it aims to increase the total amount of visitors to the nations of the GCC to 128.7 million. That represents an increase from 39.8 million in the previous year, or 136.6% more than in 2021. Experts in hospitality and tourism predict that the new initiative will revolutionize the industry in the area.