More than 2 million people have come to perform Umrah and visit Madinah since the beginning of the Umrah season, an increase of 13 percent from last year’s figures.

Saudi embassies issued 2,751,238 Umrah visas worldwide, with the highest number of visas issued in Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia and Turkey respectively.

The ministry's Madinah branch intends to use a mobile electronic guiding service at broadband speed this year. The service will be provided by field teams using iPad devices. This will help expedite services and save time.

The ministry is expecting more than 3 million pilgrims from abroad to perform Umrah in the coming months. Field teams have conducted inspection visits to check on the level of service provided by Haj companies.

The teams spotted 311 violations by various companies and urged companies to pay more attention to their level of service.