MAKKAH, 31 October 2006 — According to estimates, pilgrims and visitors to the Kingdom this Ramadan spent over SR6 billion in the holy city of Makkah alone. Market experts say this is the highest amount of spending by pilgrims ever during the holy month.
Dr. Mahfouz Bin Marie Bin Mahfouz, a member of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that luxury towers and five-star hotels such as the King Abdul Aziz Endowment project that began this year played an important role in the increase of revenue.
He added that money spent on food was another important source of revenue for the holy city during the month. It was estimated that pilgrims spent SR1.5 billion on food this Ramadan. The rest of the spending was distributed on buying gold, which recorded a record number this year, clothes and gift items.
Jameel Al-Qurashi, head of the Haj and Umrah Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the wide variety of nationalities played an important role in bringing revenue for different sectors.
While visitors from the neighboring Gulf countries focused on taking accommodation in luxury hotels and buying expensive gifts, those from African countries preferred to live in furnished apartments and middle-income housing in districts such as Al-Mansour Street and Al-Rusaifa though they are located at a distance from the central area of the holy city.
Hasan Al-Badawi, a pilgrim from Morocco, said Moroccan pilgrims buy large quantities of dates from Makkah and Madinah before returning home. “We provide dates and Zamzam water to friends and relatives who come to welcome us when we reach home,” he said, adding that he felt that Moroccan pilgrims buy more than SR10 million worth of dates during the Umrah season.
Omar Abdul Aziz Al-Kannawi, an Egyptian pilgrim, said that it is a tradition for Egyptian pilgrims to buy gifts for visitors that come to congratulate them when they arrive home after performing Umrah. He said that they buy gifts like prayer rugs, clothes and prayer beads in large quantities.
Hussein Shahrastani from Iran said Iranian pilgrims are different. “We tend to buy electronic stuff. The prices in the Kingdom are low and a wide variety of items are available here. It is a golden chance for pilgrims to see a large variety of products in one place at cheap prices,” he said.
Qamar Al-Zaman, a Nigerian woman, said that she focused on buying Saudi gold. “Gold is cheap in the Kingdom. The quality of gold in the Kingdom is far superior to what we get in Nigeria. I intend to sell the gold back in my country and I’m expecting people to buy at a high price,” she said.
Fatima Abdullah, an American citizen of Somali descent, said that she loves to buy gold with inscriptions of the names of God and the Prophet (peace be upon him). “This is the perfect gift for relatives back home,” she said.
Abdullah Al-Mashat, owner of a number of stores selling readymade clothes, said he managed to sell a lot of items because his “prices are highly competitive”.
“I have many loyal customers from Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco and other African countries. Most of the customers buy large quantities of clothes with the intention of selling them when they return home,” he said.
“This year has been a record year. Ramadan came before winter and has driven many people to buy winter clothes at cheaper prices,” he said.
