ABU DHABI: Expatriates including Malayalees will soon get a chance to visit six Gulf countries on a single visa. This is expected to ease travel processes, resulting in boosting tourism. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are the countries that have the opportunity to visit on a unified visa. There is no need for a separate visa to visit each country leading to huge financial savings, including for expatriates. This is also the main benefit of the project. This was revealed by the UAE Minister of Economy, Abdulla Bin Touq, at the Future Hospitality Summit in Abu Dhabi. He informed that it will be implemented soon, but it is not clear when this will be from.

With the implementation of the project, Gulf nationals and foreigners will be able to travel freely within the six countries. A unified visa system is being implemented in the Gulf on the model of a project where various European countries can be visited with a single visa. Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria and Greece can be visited with a single visa. This is more beneficial for the tourism sector.

With the implementation of the new project, it is expected that there will be a surge in tourism in the Gulf. The UAE says it expects a healthy competition. All preparations for implementation of unified visa have been completed.