Omani Minister Shares Update on Unified GCC Visa

Omani Minister of Heritage and Tourism, Salem Al Mahrouqi, shared that the unified GCC visa may face some delays in its implementation. 

Speaking at the Shura Council’s eighth regular session, Minister Mahrouqi said that there were security concerns and different views among the GCC countries on certain nationalities from unstable countries. 

Although the unified GCC visa was formally approved in 2023, it is unlikely to be implemented soon due to differences in views among the GCC member states. The Minister added that the visa is still under research and study and that discussions are ongoing. 

The unified visa, once implemented, is set to ease travel for tourists looking to explore the region as they only need to apply for a single visa. It will make it especially convenient for non-national Gulf residents to travel to other countries by eliminating the need to obtain multiple visas. 

Minister Mahrouqi shared statistics on changes in tourism revenue in Oman, emphasizing the growth of tourism over the past couple of years. He confirmed that total tourism production increased to 2 billion Omani riyals in 2023 from 1.8 billion riyals in 2019. 

He added that the direct added value of tourism in Oman had increased from 873 million Omani riyals in 2019 to one billion riyals in 2023. He also forecasted that tourism revenue will contribute to 3.5% of the GDP by 2023, based on several indicators.