Number of inland pilgrims to be reduced by 50%

The number of inland pilgrims hailing from different parts of the Kingdom is set to reduced by 50 percent this year to ensure the safety of pilgrims and to allow them to perform the rituals smoothly, an official of the Ministry of Haj told local media.
Ministry Undersecretary for Haj Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Nifaie said the number of haj operator firms allowed to provide services to inland pilgrims stands at 248 firms, catering to 337,500 pilgrims. In contrast, Haj operator firms served some 208,000 pilgrims last year, he highlighted.
Based on the directives of the Minister of Haj, Bandar Hajjar, the ministry has taken a series of regulatory and technical measures to allocate land plots for pilgrims’ camps in Mina and will operate toll-free numbers to allow inland pilgrim to ask questions regarding the haj operator firms before entering into contracts with them.
Earlier, the minister has announced that the number of pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom would be cut by 20 percent due to the expansion works in the holy city.
The ministry has also begun constructing units for female staff in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. The buildings will have two entrances and two exits, adding that the female units will fall under a separate budget category.