‘By the end of this year, the whole system will be in place. We are working around the clock and the e-service is a vital part of it. We don't want to complicate things for people and also maintain the same level of security. It will be a very good initiative and we will see a positive outcome for regional economies,’ Al Midfa said during a roundtable discussion.

For his part, UAE Economy Minister Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri said the regional tourist visas will be called GCC Grand Tours and will allow tourists to spend more than 30 days in the six GCC countries. ‘This will make travelling to our region more convenient and affordable.’ ‘Once it comes into effect, it will help highlight the various tourist destinations in the GCC countries, attracting and retaining tourists for longer periods, thus increasing the number of hotel customers and making the region one of the top destinations,’ Al Marri said after attending a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh on April 28-29.

Packages for major events

Al Midfa said the UAE and other Gulf countries are working with major tour operators and companies to implement packages that cater to the entire region. He added that talks are underway with hotels and airlines to create partnerships.

The official detailed that as part of the unique tourism GCC, the aim is to extend the length of stay of visitors to the Emirates. ‘People don't go to the US for two nights. People do leisure travel for two to three weeks and we want to combine packages within the GCC and make it easier when buying a package. We may need to align some of the major events to determine the right timing so that there is no overlap.’

He revealed that the private sector will implement leisure and business travel packages once a single tourist visa has been launched.