RIYADH: Two years after its initial approval, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s long-awaited unified visa has entered its final approval phase — and Saudi Arabia is positioned to emerge as its biggest winner, experts told Arab News.
The new permit, which will allow seamless travel across all six Gulf states, promises to revolutionize regional tourism and business mobility.
But while the entire bloc stands to benefit, the Kingdom’s unique advantages — from its booming religious tourism sector to its aggressive Vision 2030 economic reforms — could make it the visa’s prime beneficiary.
First proposed in 2023 and officially approved last year, the unified GCC visa will enable travelers to move freely between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE under a single permit.
GCC Secretary General Jassem Al-Budaiwi confirmed earlier in September that the visa is in its final stages, marking a major leap toward a Schengen-style system for the Gulf.
For Saudi Arabia, the timing couldn’t be better. The Kingdom has been expanding its tourism infrastructure as part of Vision 2030, with mega-projects such as Neom, the Red Sea resorts, and AlUla’s cultural oasis.
The new visa will amplify these efforts by making it easier for travelers to combine Saudi stops with visits to Dubai’s luxury hubs and Qatar’s cultural landmarks — turning the Gulf into a multi-destination hotspot.
Saudi Arabia’s strategic edge
Saudi Arabia has a strong religious tourism base. As home to Islam’s two holiest sites in Makkah and Madinah, the Kingdom already hosts millions of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims each year. The unified visa creates an opportunity to extend their stays and attract them to explore Saudi Arabia’s growing cultural and leisure offerings.
In an interview with Arab News, Raymond Khoury, partner and head of technology and innovation management practice at Arthur D. Little Middle East, said: “The GCC unified visa system offers to enhance the experiences of these visitors by encouraging longer stays and facilitating travel to other cultural and historical sites, such as AlUla, Neom, and Diriyah to name a few.”
Raymond Khoury, partner and head of technology and innovation management practice at Arthur D. Little Middle East. (Supplied)
He added: “Major airports such as Riyadh and Jeddah can serve as transit hubs offering short-stay cultural excursions to nearby sites like Diriyah or Qiddiya. The Kingdom can also promote multi-country itineraries — such as Jeddah to AlUla to Dubai or Muscat — using regional rail and low-cost air travel.”
The unified visa comes at a pivotal moment in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 tourism drive, aligning with the goal of attracting 150 million visitors a year by 2030.
Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial, told Arab News: “The Kingdom’s exceptional scale of tourism infrastructure, advanced digital and visa capabilities, and a calendar of globally recognized events collectively provide it with a competitive edge over its regional peers.”
He cited the “marquee events” of Formula 1 in Jeddah, Riyadh Season, and the Asian Winter Games in Trojena, as elevating the Kingdom’s global profile.
Khoury added that the unified visa is expected to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s tourism and business diversification goals by attracting a larger number of international visitors. This would help fast-track the target of 150 million annual visits by 2030.
He noted that as traveling between various Gulf nations became easier, Saudi Arabia would likely capture a greater share of regional tourism, positively impacting non-oil revenue growth.
Geographic primacy as a regional hub is rooted in Saudi Arabia’s central location in the Arabian Peninsula and its extensive land borders with multiple GCC states, making it the natural nexus for regional travel itineraries.
Khoury said: “Combined with its diversified offerings — from religious and cultural tourism to futuristic mega-developments — the Kingdom is set to gain the most from increased regional mobility and multi-country travel enabled by the GCC unified visa.”
Valecha noted that Saudi Arabia’s strategic location enhanced its connectivity to the GCC and the Middle East and North Africa regions, being bordered by the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and the Red Sea — serving as a vital link to Egypt and Africa.
“Thus, KSA is well-positioned to capitalize on the GCC Unified Visa by serving as an indispensable connector between critical trade locations, tourism magnets, and other strategically significant destinations in the region,” Valecha added.
Infrastructure boost
The successful implementation of the unified visa’s potential requires substantial infrastructure development, and Saudi Arabia is making unprecedented investments in this area.
“The unified visa is expected to accelerate flagship initiatives such as the GCC Railway, smart borders, and regional transport corridors. The aviation sector will play a central role in enhancing KSA’s hub status,” said Valecha.
He added that King Salman International Airport aims to attract 120 million passengers by 2030. He also noted that Riyadh Air’s first commercial flight is set to launch this year, and maintaining high-frequency connections to major GCC hubs will be key to facilitating cross-border travel.
Khoury said: “Critical infrastructure developments, such as enhanced aviation networks and rail systems, within the Kingdom and across the GCC, will be essential for capitalizing on this opportunity, allowing seamless travel between major locations.”
He added: “This includes developing Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam airports into regional connectors, launching Riyadh Air in 2025, and enhancing low-cost carrier networks to support short-haul intra-GCC travel.”
Khoury stated that completing the GCC Railway and connecting it with domestic lines such as Haramain and Saudi Arabia Railways would enable seamless land mobility across the Kingdom and Gulf states.
Economic ripple effects
The implementation of the unified visa is expected to create widespread economic benefits extending far beyond the tourism sector.
“The tourism and hospitality sector is poised to witness significant growth due to heightened demand across hotels, transportation, and dining, boosting occupancy rates and spending per visitor,” Valecha said.
Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. (Supplied)
He noted that the new visa would directly boost international arrivals, citing a UN Tourism report showing Saudi Arabia’s 102 percent increase in the first quarter of 2025 in tourist arrivals compared to 2019.
Khoury added: “Beyond hospitality, sectors like logistics and entertainment stand to benefit significantly. The anticipated spike in travel will lead to increased demand for hotel capacity and mid-tier accommodations in key Saudi cities.”
He added that Saudi airlines and regional transport networks would likely expand routes and frequency, improving domestic and regional connectivity.
The ADL official also noted that integrated travel platforms, covering bookings, visas, and itinerary planning, would create opportunities for tech innovation, highlighting potential growth in experience-based tourism, with rising demand for curated cultural, wellness, adventure, and religious-leisure packages.
Strategic business opportunities
The unified visa presents numerous opportunities for investors and businesses positioned to capitalize on the expected surge in regional travel.
Valecha noted the visa reforms would ease business travel for multinationals across GCC states, boosting trade and regional logistics.
“The faster mobility of residents and nationals within the region would be conducive for business travel, significantly promoting the ease of doing business of GCC states globally,” he said.
Khoury emphasized the strategic implications, noting that businesses that deliver “seamless, cross-border offerings” will be best positioned to lead in this new era of regional tourism integration.
“Additionally, the unified visa can significantly advance the Kingdom’s broader strategic ambitions over the next decade by enhancing talent mobility, regional economic integration, and soft power positioning.”
He added that the visa would attract global professionals, easing cross-border recruitment of skilled talent for key sectors like tech, healthcare and finance, directly supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals to become a regional innovation hub.
Long-term implications
The unified visa’s impact may extend well beyond immediate tourism and business benefits, potentially reshaping the Gulf’s geopolitical and economic landscape.
On the economic front, Khoury explained, smoother cross-border access will facilitate trade, joint ventures, and supply chain integration, especially in logistics, manufacturing, and small and medium-sized enterprises, reinforcing the Kingdom’s push to lead in varied and resilient regional manufacturing and supply frameworks.
“Politically, Saudi Arabia can strengthen its geopolitical influence by positioning itself as the central node of a more interconnected, mobile, and economically unified Gulf — further amplifying its leadership in regional policy, investment flows, and digital infrastructure alignment,” he added.
As the GCC unified visa moves from concept to reality, Saudi Arabia stands at the threshold of a transformative opportunity to cement its position as the Gulf’s premier tourism and business hub.
With its unique combination of religious significance, geographic centrality, and visionary economic planning, the Kingdom is uniquely positioned to emerge as the primary beneficiary of this historic regional integration initiative.
