JEDDAH, 1 November 2003 — Experts predict that the number of pilgrims coming from abroad for Umrah this Ramadan will decline by 30 percent compared to last year, when more than three million pilgrims came from various parts of the Islamic world.
Khaleel Abdul Rahman Bahadur, a member of the Haj and Umrah Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Arab News that he feared Umrah traffic from abroad would decrease because the validity of the visa period has been reduced from three months to one.
“This is the first time they have reduced the visa period. Earlier people had three months after getting the visa to prepare for travel. Now they have got only one month and many people who got a visa will not be able to make the journey because the period is so short,” he said.
Another reason, according to Bahadur, for the fall in Umrah traffic is the government decision not to issue Umrah visas during Ramadan. “Saudi missions stop giving Umrah visas by the end of Shaaban. Many people decide to perform Umrah during Ramadan, but now they will not get a visa as a result of the decision,” he said. A survey has shown that a large number of people decide to perform Umrah during Ramadan, when their religious sentiments reach a peak, Bahadur said.
The new Umrah law insists that pilgrims pay SR3,000 as security. “This condition has negatively affected the inflow of Umrah pilgrims,” he said. The law affects pilgrims from Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Pakistan and some other Asian and African countries and is designed to discourage them from staying on illegally after their visa expires.
The fall in the number of pilgrims was evident in reservations at hotels in central Makkah, which stood at less than 70 percent. Last year the occupancy rate of hotels in the area was 100 percent.
However, Bahadur said he expected that the occupancy rate to increase in the last 10 days of Ramadan when a large number of pilgrims, especially from the Gulf, come for Umrah.
He also pointed out that the period of stay of pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah has increased compared to past years as many foreign companies organize Umrah packages for 20 to 30 days. He said hotel prices would go up accordingly, especially in central Makkah near the holy Haram.
Bahadur, the owner of White Palace hotels group in central Makkah, estimates the average charge for hotel rooms in the area at SR150 to SR1,000 during Ramadan. “The prices will go up tenfold during the last 10 days of the holy month,” he added.
