Schengen-style GCC Unified Tourist Visa covering 6 Gulf nations approved, to roll out soon: Report
Abu Dhabi: The long-anticipated GCC unified tourist visa has reportedly been approved and will be rolled out shortly. It will allow foreign tourists to visit all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council — the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait — under a single entry permit, in a move reminiscent of the Schengen visa system in Europe.
“The single (GCC) tourist visa has been approved and waiting now to be implemented, hopefully, soon. Now, it is with the Ministry of Interior and the relevant stakeholders and they should look into it,” Khaleej Times quoted Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE’s Minister of Economy, as saying.
The idea of a unified GCC tourist visa, also referred to as the "GCC Grand Tours Visa”, has been under discussion for few years, aimed at enhancing regional tourism by simplifying travel procedures. Once implemented, it will allow travellers to visit all six Gulf countries under a single visa, removing the current requirement of applying separately for each destination, despite the countries being well-connected by air and road.
Data released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf, and cited by Khaleej Times, shows the region attracted 68.1 million visitors in 2023, generating a record-breaking $110.4 billion in tourism revenue. This marks a 42.8 percent increase in tourist arrivals compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Industry experts reportedly believe that the unified GCC tourist visa will be a game-changer for the regional tourism sector and the broader economy. They anticipate significant benefits, including increased job creation, enhanced gross domestic product (GDP), and a rise in "bleisure" travel — a growing trend where business travellers extend their trips to explore neighbouring destinations for leisure.
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Woman poses as man to loot jewellery of Rs 1.5 crore from relative's house; arrested
Palghar (PTI): A 27-year-old woman disguised as a man to gain entry into the residence of her sister's father-in-law and robbed jewellery of more than Rs 1.5 crore from the house in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Wednesday.
The incident took place at Manickpur in Vasai area on Monday afternoon and the woman was apprehended from Navsari in Gujarat the same night, they said.
The accused, dressed up as a man, came to the house of her sister's 66-year-old father-in-law, who lived alone, under the pretext of wanting to see it for some deal.
After entering the house, the accused took the elderly man to the toilet on the pretext of checking it, locked him inside and fled with 1.4 kg of gold ornaments and 2.3 kg of silver items, collectively valued at Rs 1,50,84,050, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madan Ballal said.
Based on the victim's complaint, an FIR was registered the same day under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for theft, robbery and wrongful confinement, and the police examined 75 to 80 CCTV footages, he said.
"We came across a footage showing a man carrying the stolen items and placing them somewhere before disappearing from sight, after which a woman collected them," the official said.
Along with technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, the investigators received a tip that a relative of the victim in Gujarat could be involved in the crime.
Acting swiftly, a crime branch team from here, with the assistance of the Navsari police, apprehended the woman, identified as Jyoti Mohan Bhanushali, from Gujarat late Monday night, Ballal said.
"During interrogation, she confessed to hatching the plan herself. Disguised as a man, she visited the house of her sister's father-in-law, knowing he lived alone, and carried out the robbery," the official said.
The police have recovered all the stolen items, he said, adding further probe was on into the case.
