MAKKAH, 18 February 2003 — Revenue from this year’s Haj is estimated at SR5 billion and the entire rev-enue is to be plowed back into Haj services such as housing and transport, Al-Madinah newspaper reported yesterday quoting economists.
SR2 billion was made from renting out 6,000 apartment buildings accommodating more than 1.5 million pilgrims. Travel agen-cies and Haj missions rented out the build-ings without government interference.
According to the economists quoted by Al-Madinah, foreign Haj missions have taken control of most rental units, which has resulted in losses to the national economy.
They also sometimes rent apartment buildings far away from the Grand Mosque in Makkah, which pilgrims refuse to stay in. On such occasions the Ministry of Haj steps in to resolve the dispute.
Pilgrims pay SR594 for housing and ser-vices in Makkah and Mina. Tawafa agencies earned SR481 million during Haj, a sum distributed among to agencies according to the number of pilgrims they served.
Transport companies ferrying pilgrims between Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah earned an estimated SR609 million. According to the economists quoted, local agents which served 300,000 in-Kingdom pilgrims accounted for SR900 million.
On average, local pilgrims pay SR300 for services and between SR25 and SR1,300 for tents in Mina.
