Omani Minister of Heritage and Tourism, Salem Al Mahrouqi, said the unified GCC tourist visa is still under study and its implementation may take some time due to security concerns and differing views on certain nationalities from unstable regions.
Minister Mahrouqi shared this statement at the Shura Council’s eighth regular session. He acknowledged that even though the unified GCC visa initiative was approved in 2023, it still remains under research and study and is unlikely to be implemented in the near future.
However, once the visa gets implemented, GCC residents and tourists can travel throughout the Gulf region seamlessly with a single visa.
Sharing statistics on tourism revenue in Oman, he confirmed that total tourism production increased from 1.8 billion Omani riyals in 2019 to 2 billion riyals in 2023.
He added the direct value of tourism in Oman rose from 873 million Omani riyals in 2019 to one billion riyals in 2023. Minister Mahrouqi also said many indicators suggest that tourism revenue will constitute 3.5% of the GDP earnings by 2030.