The minister made the announcement on Tuesday after a tour of a number of Tawafa establishments to assess arrangements being made to provide the best of services to the guests of God.
He said all phases for the operation of the Makkah Metro had been completed. The metro will be fully operational from next Haj season.
Al-Farsy said his tour was aimed at assessing preparations made for the guests of God and to hear from the establishments their remarks and observations about the difficulties that might impede their work with a view to solving them on the spot.
The minister began his inspection tour with a visit to the coordinating authority for Tawafa establishments, where he was welcomed by its chairman Faiq bin Muhammad Biyari. He launched a book titled “Memory of the Profession,” a documentary work recording the memoirs of former mutawwifs about the historic profession.
The minister visited the Tawafa Establishment for Pilgrims from Non-Arab African Countries, which provides services to more than 180,000 pilgrims from 48 African countries. He also paid a visit to the Tawafa Establishment of Arab Pilgrims.
“This tour is aimed at obtaining a first-hand assessment of the arrangements and preparations being made to receive pilgrims and provide them with quality services. This will enable them to perform the fifth pillar of Islam in ease and comfort," he said.
Al-Farsy said at present 250,000 pilgrims from abroad are performing Umrah and the number is expected to go up remarkably during the fasting month. He said over 5 million people are expected to perform Umrah this year.
The peak Umrah season started mid February and continues until the end of Ramadan.
