• UAE minister Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri has announced that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are planning to roll out a unified Gulf tourist visa within the next two years. 

• The move will open doors to travellers, granting them access to six Gulf countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — under a single tourist visa.

• The GCC countries aim to increase the direct GDP contribution of the travel and tourism sector by 7 per cent annually. The total value added to the GDP of GCC countries’ travel and tourism sector is expected to reach $185.9 billion in 2023, with an 8.5 percent growth compared to 2022.

What is the Gulf Cooperation Council?

• The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was established by an agreement concluded on May 25, 1981 in Riyadh among Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in view of their special relations, geographic proximity and similar political systems.

• GCC comprises some of the fastest growing economies in the world, mainly due to an increase in oil and natural gas revenues coupled with a building and investment boom backed by reserves, etc.

The GCC Charter states that the basic objectives are to:

i) Have coordination, integration and inter-connection between Member States in all fields. 

ii) Strengthen ties between their peoples.

iii) Formulate similar regulations in various fields such as economy, finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation, administration.

iv) Foster scientific and technical progress in industry, mining, agriculture, water and animal resources.

v) Establish scientific research centres.

vi) Set up joint ventures.

vii) Encourage cooperation of the private sector.

The structure of the GCC consists of:

• The Supreme Council which comprises the Heads of State of the six member countries.

• The Ministerial Council which comprises the foreign ministers of the six member countries.

• The Secretariat General which prepares reports, studies, accounts and budgets for the GCC.

• The Secretariat is located in Riyadh. 

India and the GCC

• The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as a collective entity has tremendous significance for India. 

• India has a close and strong relationship with the Gulf region which has remained a region of prime importance in our extended neighborhood. 

• Bilateral friendly ties with each of the Gulf countries are deep-rooted in shared history and have been constantly nourished through growing multidimensional cooperation and vibrant people-to-people engagement.

• There has been an unprecedented boost in political and economic engagement with the Gulf region over the past few years. With sustained efforts and focused engagement, the traditional buyer-seller relationship (basically focused on energy supplies) has been transformed into a strategic engagement. 

• India’s old, historical ties with the GCC states, coupled with increasing imports of oil and gas, growing trade and investment, and the presence of millions of Indian workers in the region, are of vital interest to India.

• India’s economic linkage with the GCC has increased steadily, especially due to the growth in oil imports. 

• The Gulf region is one of the largest trading partners of India 

• Gulf nations are host to a sizeable Indian population. Out of about 32 million non-resident Indians (NRIs), nearly half are estimated to be working in the Gulf countries.

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