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9/30/25, 4:19 PM 39,546 tourism, hospitality, aviation licences issued until mid-September: Minister
programmes. As part of its outreach to Africa, the UAE will also host the “UAE–Africa Tourism Investment Summit” in
October as part of the Future Hospitality Summit, aimed at deepening bilateral partnerships across tourism, hospitality

and aviation. On Gulf tourism, Al Marri said the UAE welcomed 3.3 million visitors from GCC countries in 2024,
accounting for 11 percent of total hotel guests. Saudi Arabia led with 1.9 million visitors (58 percent of GCC total),
followed by Oman with 777,000 (24 percent), Kuwait with 381,000 (12 percent), Bahrain with 123,000 (4 percent) and

Qatar with 93,000 (3 percent). He added that the upcoming unified GCC tourist visa represents a strategic step towards
deeper regional integration and will enhance the Gulf’s collective appeal as a single tourism destination. A pilot launch
is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025, ahead of full implementation at a later stage.

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