DAMMAM, 6 February 2003 — The number of pilgrims traveling to Makkah by bus from the Eastern Province is larger than at any time in the last 20 years, according to local transport operators.
Although national carrier Saudia is reporting overbooking for the Haj period, estimates are that the bulk of pilgrims are going by road. More than a thousand buses have been booked from Qatif alone, and many more pilgrims are on waiting lists.
Tour operators are finding it difficult to cope with the demand.
“We have had to rent more than a hundred buses from Kuwait and Qatar at premium rates,” Muhammad Al-Nasser of Safa Haj operators told Arab News.
“This is the only time in the year when we have a shortage of buses in the region,” said Ali M. Shammary, owner of a transport company in Dammam. “During Haj, we earn our livelihood for the whole year.”
Transport companies rent out buses and luxury coaches to private tour operators for off-peak Umrah for the remainder of the year. The competition is so stiff that an Umrah package is offered for as little as SR75 per passenger. The package includes trip to Makkah, one meal during the journey, the trip to Madinah from Makkah, and the return journey to Dammam or Alkhobar. This compares with a SR200 charge for a one-way trip to Jeddah on SAPTCO.
The renting of buses begins two months prior to Haj, and as the pilgrimage nears the rates go up. But despite high fees and high demand, competition among the tour operators is cut-throat. There are more than a dozen Haj packages to choose from, and a random survey of the market revealed that the cheapest package offered by a tour operator, including a trip to all the holy sites and stay in Mina, costs SR900.
Standard packages cost between SR2,500 and SR5,000, including travel, accommodation and meals. There are even costlier packages, which may go up to SR7,000 per person and provide five-star facilities.
The cheaper packages are offered mainly by non-professional tour operators, who take up the business only during Haj to make a quick profit. These operators carry the pilgrims on small buses, and in previous years many pilgrims who went on such tours returned disappointed.
Officials at SAPTCO report a shortage of buses as its fleet is put into service at the holy sites. A sizable number of its buses are already on contract to several schools. However, despite the shortage, SAPTCO says it is on top of the Haj rush.
