After 25 years on the sidelines, Jeddah is making a slow comeback as the business hub during the annual pilgrimage, the Haj. For some time, Jeddah had been reduced to a transit point for pilgrims on their way to Makkah and Madinah. Jeddah watched helplessly as the main business activity shifted away from it which had traditionally been the gateway for millions of Muslims coming for Haj and Umrah.
Jeddah residents have welcomed the comeback with enthusiasm, seeing it as an opportunity for the business and service sectors to flourish. Seeing their city being identified as a main point of attraction in the national tourist plan, local shop owners, hoteliers and operators of restaurants transport facilities are pinning great hopes on the new tourist drive to return Jeddah to its leading role as a main center for serving pilgrims.
The “Jeddah is Different” slogan chosen by the city for its annual tourism and recreation festival was a good one. Jeddah has always been unique when it comes to treatment of visitors, whether these are from inside or outside the country. Under the new tourist policy, Umrah operators can now carry out business throughout the year with pilgrims allowed to stay for a full month instead of only two weeks. They are also allowed to visit other parts of the Kingdom instead of being confined to Makkah and Madinah.
Haj represents a high point for the city’s merchants and residents with the entire country benefiting from money made from pilgrims. The pilgrimage was once central to the Kingdom’s economy, serving as the economic nucleus for Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah. Realizing the huge potential of Haj for the people of the country, the late King Abdul Aziz instructed that the Red Sea port of Yanbu be prepared to benefit from business opportunities offered by Haj. He ordered the construction of necessary facilities at Yanbu in order to receive and accommodate overseas pilgrims on their way to Makkah.
It was a visionary initiative that allowed Yanbu to benefit from Haj without affecting the other three cities. Although the experiment did not last, its economic significance should make us revive it. Such vision should not be confined to Yanbu but must be extended to include other places as well.
Taif could be prepared to handle pilgrims coming from such places as Yemen and other Gulf countries. Our tourism drive should be religious-oriented. Pilgrims will come every year and their numbers will steadily increase. We must plan and be prepared to benefit from this fact.
Arab News From the Local Press 27 January 2003
