JEDDAH, 16 July 2007 — Tens of thousands of Umrah pilgrims continue to visit Saudi Arabia. They come from all parts of the world, notably from Indonesia and other Far East countries, Egypt, Morocco, Europe, the United States and from various parts of the Middle East-Gulf region and South Asia.

“There is a perceptible increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims this year,” Hisham Omar Baroom, executive vice president of Elaf Travel, Tourism and Hotels, told Arab News.

“Last year, Elaf Group of Companies — which ranks 77 among 100 Saudi companies according to Arab News 2006 ranking — brought 86,000 Umrah pilgrims. This year we alone expect to bring 100,000 or even more,” he said.

Umrah divisions of various travel agencies have been contributing to the increase through their various service programs. “On our part, our Umrah division is doing all that is necessary for the guests of God including meet-and-assist service on their arrival and taking care of their transportation to the holy places and accommodation,” Baroom said.

“What has additionally given an impetus to the Umrah traffic is the promotion of domestic tourism by the Supreme Commission for Tourism. Such visitors also take advantage of visiting touristic places, which are plenty across the Kingdom. The commission has identified 4,000 such places,” he said.

Baroom said that with excellent facilities and infrastructure being provided to Umrah pilgrims, their number would go up this year and in the years to come. “Last year, the Kingdom had 3.2 million Umrah pilgrims according to official records compared to over one million five years ago. With the rate of annual increase, their number would increase to 10 million in the next five to seven years, which is also the official estimate and expectation.”

There has also been a great number of Umrah visits by those residing in the Kingdom. Packages covering Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah offered by Umrah tour operators are being increasingly used by the residents as much as by the overseas visitors.

Such packages have also led to the expansion of domestic tourism. “While families crisscross the country to spend their vacation — and there is a continuous inflow of such visitors to Jeddah — there is also a big outbound traffic,” he said, adding that many families have already left or are planning to visit overseas destinations during summer.

The Far East, especially Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, are among the popular summer destinations for Saudi families, in addition to Switzerland and Italy and other Western cities of London and Paris. “Saudis are known to be great spenders overseas, with the estimated spending at more than $12 billion annually. The figure is expected to be higher this year,” Baroom said.

Summer camps and programs abroad have also been a great attraction for students and other Saudis this summer like in the past years.

Aside from the seasonal interest that Saudis show in going abroad, they have also been going to international destinations for learning English and pursuing higher education.

Elaf Group, with Moutaz F. Kayal as its president, offers a range of summer packages, which have remained a big draw for young Saudis.