TBM Staff - Mumbai A unified e-visa system will be unveiled by the end of this year by the regional countries in the GCC region, said Khalid Jasim Al Midfa of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Authority (SCTDA), while talking at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai.
“By the end of this year, the whole system will be in place. (We) are working day and night and e-service is a vital part of it. We don’t want to complicate things for people and also maintain the same security level. It will be a very good initiative and we will see a positive outcome for regional economies,” Al Midfa said during the panel discussion by the regional tourism chief.
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE’s Minister of Economy, said the regional tourist visas would be called GCC Grand Tours and it will allow tourists to spend more than 30 days in the six countries that make up the GCC. “This will make travel to our region more convenient and affordable for tourists.”
“Once it comes into effect, it will contribute to highlighting the diverse tourism destinations in GCC countries, attracting and retaining tourists for longer periods, thus increasing the number of hotel guests and making the region one of the leading destinations for regional and international tourists alike,” Al Marri said after attending a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh on April 28 and 29.
He added that as part of the single tourism GCC, the aim is to extend the length of stay of visitors in UAE. “People don’t go to the US for 2 nights. People go for leisure travel for 2-3 weeks and we want to combine the packages here within the GCC and make it easy and buy a package. We may need to align some of the biggest events in order to work out the timing so that there is no overlapping.”
(Source: Khaleej Times)
