UAE’s Longest Day In 2026 To Saudi Arabia Receiving 123 M Visitors In 2025; 5 GCC Updates

Keeping up with the updates from across the GCC region is quite tiring. So to ensure that you do not get left behind on these updates, we have made a list of some important ones that you will want to know. From Dubai to Abu Dhabi and beyond, here are some important updates from across the region that you will want to know to stay ahead of the news.

GCC updates

1. Sunday To Be The Longest Day In The UAE This Year

Sunday, June 21st, is going to be the longest day of the year for the UAE. After all, the Summer Solstice marks the official start of astronomical summer. The summer solstice occurs at 8:25 GMT, which is about 12:25 PM UAE time. So, daylight hours in the UAE are expected to reach about 13 hours and 15 minutes between June 18th and 24th.

2. Abu Dhabi Is Exploring 1st Driverless Public Transport Bus Trial

Abu Dhabi is exploring the first autonomous public transport bus trial in MENA. It is a part of its effort that aims to adopt smart mobility technology. Moreover, it is also trying to adopt a self-driving transport system across the emirate. There are discussions being held with the Emirati smart mobility company, Lumo, for the implementation of the pilot project.

3. 123 Million Visitors Recorded In Saudi Arabia In 2025

Saudi Arabia records a historic high of about 123 million domestic and international tourists in 2025. This comes due to the rapid transformation of the tourism sector in the kingdom. As revealed by the Ministry of Tourism’s annual statistical report 2025, the numbers which combine both inbound and domestic tourists rose by 6% as compared to the previous year. Moreover, total tourism spending also reached a record of SAR304 billion

4. Indian Passport Services To Be Paused For Five Days In The UAE

For five days, Indian passport, visa, and attestation services will be suspended in the UAE later this month. This comes as Al Hind Tours and Travel LLC will be taking over delivery of outsourced passport services, as announced by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi. The attestation and visa services across the UAE will be carried out by this company from July 1st, 2026. This comes as the services are being transitioned from the existing service providers of BLS International.

Also Read: Dubai: Residents & Visitors Urged To Obtain Visas From Approved & Official Channels Only

5. Dubai Police Campaigns For Road Accident Awareness Causes

In the latest campaign for road safety, Dubai Police targets the reasons behind accidents on the road. This includes sudden lane swerving, speeding, and tailgating. These continue to rank among the leading causes behind traffic accidents on the roads of the Emirate. As a result, the police have launched a new awareness campaign, which aims to change the driver behaviour so that such preventable crashes can be reduced.

So, we hope you were able to keep up with the updates from across the GCC region through these updates, as listed above, across several sectors.

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