Until very recently, Umrah visitors who number a few hundred thousand limited their arrival in the Kingdom to certain months of the year — usually Rabie Al-Awwal and Rajab. The government, however, issued new regulations that extend the Umrah season for 10 months. In other words, Umrah pilgrims may come to the Kingdom any time before the annual Haj.
The change is meant to facilitate visits to Makkah and Madinah throughout the year and also to give the economy a boost. The new system met with difficulties but is constantly being improved in a joint effort involving the Haj Ministry and other relevant government bodies as well as local and foreign Umrah agents and operators.
The problem has always been organizational. To avoid overcrowding, squatting and other inconveniences, there are plans to have visitors evenly spread over the three peak months of Rajab, Shaban and Ramadan.
Haj Minister Dr. Fuad Al-Farsy urged local Umrah agents to ensure that their pilgrims received the promised services and performed their religious duties in ease and comfort.
Among the inconveniences is that operators take pilgrims to the airport for return flights at inappropriate times and this causes congestion in the departure lounges.
The ministry has now asked Umrah operators not to send their pilgrims to the airport until three hours before their scheduled departure. Complaints, it seems, have been received from airline companies operating Umrah flights of too many passengers arriving either early or very late at the airport which results in flight delays.
A study by the ministry predicted that the economic returns of Umrah could amount to SR9 billion. The 10-month season extending from the first lunar month of Muharram through the month of Shawal is expected to attract some three million pilgrims. Less than 10 years from now, the number could reach five million annually with the economic returns amounting to SR14.1 billion.
Based on these figures, the authorities must move fast to ensure that these large numbers of pilgrims are adequately received and cared for throughout their stay and until the moment they left for home. This will help increase the number of Umrah pilgrims to 10 million, the target set by the new system, and it will in turn give a significant boost to the Kingdom’s economy.
