Unlocking The Gulf Schengen: One Visa, Six Destinations

A report by Lea Fayad, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine 

What do you think about a Gulf version of Schengen?

One visa allowing entry into 6 countries: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, with the ability to travel between them freely for 30 days.

This visa is expected to launch later this year, aiming not only to streamline visitation procedures to these countries but also to boost tourism.

The Gulf countries aspire to double the number of foreign visitors to around 128 million by 2030 (from around 50 million in 2023) and increase their share of the global tourism market from 7.5% to 10%.

This comes at a time when the region is already experiencing remarkable growth in tourist activity, which is the fastest in the world at 25% following a period of contraction due to the COVID-19 crisis.

But why focus on the tourism sector?

In numbers, tourism, which constitutes 11% of the global economy, is witnessing increasing growth due to:

1- The increasing global population, especially in China and India, and the growth of the middle class in these regions.

 

2- The expansion of airlines, coupled with rising demands for new aircraft.

 

All these factors indicate that with vision and planning, the future of Gulf tourism looks promising.