Minister of Tourism in Bahrain, Fatima Al Sairafi, has revealed that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including UAE, are considering launching a “Schengen-like visa,” to attract more tourists and generate revenue.
She made this announcement during a panel discussion on “The Future of Travel for the GCC,” at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023, taking place in Dubai World Trade Center.
Al Sairafi projected that this can happen pretty soon because people who go to Europe for vacations visit several countries instead of one on a single visa. She added that such a move will not only benefit each country but also the entire region.
Al Sairafi emphasized that Bahrain attracted a large number of tourists last year mainly because of co-promoting itself with Saudi Arabia and UAE. This was evident from its tourist numbers from last year when it received around 9.9 million travelers rather than the target of 8.3 million.
According to her, this was achieved through co-promoting UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia via more than 100 travel agencies, leading to an increase in tourists from diverse countries.
UAE’s Under Secretary of Foreign Trade and Industry at the Ministry of Economy, Abdullah Al Saleh, noted that tourists will become happier if they are able to visit multiple countries without border restrictions under a single visa.
He remarked that future travelers will prefer a range of destinations and routes while making a travel decision. Saudi Arabia also benefited from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup, reflecting that a unified approach can work and benefit everyone, he further added.
