GCC Officials Discuss Unified Tourist Visa and Ways to Boost Tourism

On Wednesday, tourism undersecretaries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) gathered for their seventh meeting of the year at the Oman Across Ages Museum in Al Dakhiliyah, Oman.

At this meeting, discussions revolved around the unified GCC tourist visa, a new tourism guidebook, and the development of a one-stop platform.

The main goal, as mentioned by Azzan Qasim Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of Tourism, was to identify the best methods to capitalize on the combined resources and opportunities of the GCC nations.

The officials also reviewed advancements made in the tourism sector from decisions made during their previous meeting in 2022 in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia.

Highlighting the significance of the sector, Khalid Ali Al Sunaidi, from the GCC Secretariat General, stated that in 2022, the GCC's travel and tourism sector saw an impressive 57.5 percent growth in its contribution to the GDP compared to 2021.

He further emphasized that the GCC Supreme Council has endorsed a tourism strategy for 2023-2030, laying out ambitious targets in line with the goals of GCC member countries.