MAKKAH, 9 October 2004 — Hotels and furnished apartments reported hectic business in the central area around the holy mosque in Makkah, Okaz newspaper reported. Room occupancy that has already increased to 60 percent, is expected to reach 100 percent during the first week of Ramadan. The trend is likely to continue till the end of the holy month.
In the central area of Makkah, the percentage of visitors has increased by 80 percent compared with local Umrah pilgrims. Most of the visitors are from Iran, Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia. Pilgrims from the Gulf were the least on the list.
Muhammad Al-Hazmi, a hotel owner in the central area, said that the season this year was unstable due to the global economic and political situation. He said that the number of pilgrims who arrived was fair, which is considered an achievement when viewed against what is happening around the world. The hotel industry was upbeat about the new Umrah law, which would help increase the number of visitors by 25 percent every year.
