Travelling could become even easier after two blocs of countries on different continents moved closer to separate visa agreements. Here's the latest on the proposals for Wise Travellers:
Southeast Asia
Earlier in 2024, Thailand proposed a Schengen-style joint visa for itself and five other Southeast Asian countries - Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
In recent months, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been discussing the proposal with his counterparts in an effort to attract long-haul travellers and boost regional tourism.
Dubbed 'Six Countries, One Destination', the visa, if implemented, would mean travellers would no longer need separate visas or permits.
Modelled after Europe's Schengen area, which allows travel to 27 member-states across the EU for a maximum of 90 days, the unified Asian visa would see tourists travel freely between the participating countries.
At a meeting on October 9 on the sidelines of the 44th-45th ASEAN Summit in Laos, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra agreed to collaborate with relevant nations to pilot the initiative.
The proposal appears to have gained momentum with Cambodian officials studying the visa policy. Cambodian Minister of Tourism Huot Hak met with Thai officials Dusit Manapan and Chayika Wongnapachant, advisors to Thai foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa, on October 21.
The Bangkok Post reported that during the meeting, Hak had "agreed" in principle to the initiative and will continue discussions with relevant Cambodian ministries.
The common visa has been discussed at length for many years as a way to boost regional tourism but until recently has made little headway due to the different countries' fragmented immigration procedures.
However, Vietnam and Thailand said they would work closely together to ensure consistent rules and seamless travel between the six countries.
In 2023, the six Southeast Asian nations welcomed 70 million foreign tourists, with Malaysia and Thailand receiving the highest numbers.
Middle East unity
Meanwhile, tourism ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - unanimously approved, at a meeting in Muscat on October 5, a proposal to introduce a Schengen-style unified visa for tourists to the region.
The unified visa would allow tourists single-visa access to all the GCC member states. Currently, citizens of GCC countries enjoy visa-free travel between the member states, but tourists are required to obtain separate visas to access each of the six countries.
"The common tourism visa for the GCC is coming very soon," said Omani Minister of Heritage and Tourism Salim Mohammed al Mahrouqi. "There is unanimous agreement in terms of the importance of this matter. There will be a number of follow-up meetings to see how we can proceed on this to reach a full agreement on it."
The ministers are seeking feedback on the visa proposal by December and said implementation would commence as soon as all necessary mechanisms were in place.
Gulf nations are looking to integrate their economies, in particular with a push toward diversification away from oil and gas, with tourism viewed as a key avenue.
Andy Probert is an independent journalist and PR writer. He writes about travel, aviation, new tech and business. His work has appeared on the BBC, in The Daily Telegraph, Hurriyet Daily News and other newspapers worldwide.
