And for the fourth year in a row, Yemenis have expressed their dismay over this regulation, which requires men under 40 to be accompanied by a female relative and a letter from a guarantor saying he will pay SR15,000 if the sponsored pilgrim does not return to Yemen by the expiration date of the pilgrimage visa.
"I can't get the visa because I'm 27," said Omer Al-Tamimi, a university lecturer at a private university at the coastal city of Mukalla, who wanted to perform Umrah. "If their aim is to stop people from getting into the Kingdom, we share a long border and people can resort to illegal means (to enter the country)."
Al-Tamimi also said he believes the rule has an "undesirable effect" on the image of Saudi Arabia as the caretaker of Islam's two holiest places. "We understand their concerns but they should think of other solutions," he added.
According to Yemen's Ministry of Endowments, the number of pilgrims has declined from more than 100,000 in 2005 to an estimated 40,000 this year.
When asked about this policy, one man on the street of Mukalla angrily denounced it: "The decision puts overstayers on par with those who have the real intention of Umrah!"
The rule has also hurt the pilgrimage tour operators in Yemen.
Abdullah Yaslim, head of pilgrimage tours at Bamatraf Travel Agency in Mukalla, admits that the policy has been responsible for greatly reducing the number of pilgrimage overstayers. "The advantage of the regulation is we weeded out the false pilgrims who are a pain in the neck," he said.
At the same time, he said, many are "annoyed" by the decision, especially young men who like to spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in deep spiritual reflection in Makkah and Madinah, and that the government should try to find a more amicable solution than reducing Yemen's visa quota.
"The Saudi government should find alternatives to solve the problem, like holding the pilgrims' passports and giving them cards — similar to the procedures for the Haj — or punishing the agencies if their pilgrims remain behind."
Higher Haj and Umrah expenses are also a matter of concern. Haj fees have grown about 30 percent by most local estimates, up to $2,700 for a Yemeni pilgrim — about a year's salary for the average Yemeni, according to World Bank figures. The cost increase has been attributed to rising cost for accommodation in Makkah.
Local writer Khalid Abdullah Guaid said the skyrocketing prices for Umrah and Haj has made the pilgrimages a pipe-dream for most of Yemenis despite their country's proximity to the holy cities. "It is the outrageous exploitation and greed of travel agencies that has forced many people who long to visit Makkah and Madinah to change their minds," he wrote recently.
