With the Kingdom mounting concerted effort to upgrade tourism infrastructure and related facilities as part of its effort to promote cultural tourism, Haj and Umrah, a major component of the Saudi tourism industry, are becoming increasingly important segments,

While every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the journey must perform the Haj at least once during their lifetime, the Umrah pilgrimage is optional.

Yet millions of Muslims come to the Kingdom every year for Umrah, with the holy month of Ramadan being the peak time.

A new Umrah law introduced last year allows visits all year round and longer periods of stay — one month instead of two-weeks. The law also allows Umrah pilgrims the opportunity to travel to other parts of the Kingdom outside the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

The Kingdom annually earns over SR 30 billion from Haj and Umrah.

The figure could be doubled if the two seasons were professionally managed, said Abdul Ghani Hammad Al-Ansari, a member of the Haj and Umrah Committee at the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently. He said the income generated in Makkah is much more than what is generated in Madinah because of Makkah’s proximity to Jeddah's King Abdul Aziz International Airport.

He added that there are large number of local Umrah companies but they do not operate in a unified manner.

If united in their decisions and stances, they would benefit the country economically as the unity would lead to the annual income from Haj and Umrah reaching over SR 60 billion substantially contributing in the reduction of unemployment in the Kingdom.

Last year, Haj and Umrah travel generated $ 16.5 billion for the Kingdom and the figure is expected to increase substantially as religious tourist arrivals are forecast to grow further.

Once the Haj is over with the pilgrims having left for home, the authorities starts preparing for a busy Umrah season, during which three million Muslims are expected to visit the Kingdom.

The rate of occupancy for Umrah gradually increases reaching 100 percent during the last days of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Interior Ministry has also issued a stern warning to the pilgrims against overstaying in the country as the problem of overstaying remains a headache for the authorities who want to ensure that all pilgrims leave by the end of the season after performing their religious duty.

Haj and Umrah is also a catalyst for every development that takes place in the holy cities. Presently an additional 5,000 new rooms — in hotels and apartment blocks — are being created in Makkah for visitors. Saudi travel companies have been strongly investing in the local market, especially during Haj and Umrah periods.

Saudi government's increased investments in infrastructure and expansion projects also reflects its determination to attract larger numbers of tourists.

One of the most significant projects is the expansion of the Jeddah airport that would be capable of accommodating up to 80 million travelers by 2035.

One of the Kingdom's largest projects, SR 10 billion Jabal Alka’aba (Ka’aba Mountain), is considered a "real contribution to the development of the city of Makkah." It would enable the city to meet the increased demand for hotel rooms during Haj and Umrah. These hotel projects would add about 8,000 hotel rooms to the city’s hospitality industry in the coming years.

Tourism is currently the country’s second largest industry and this has huge significance for the economy as $ 80 billion worth of investment into key infrastructure projects, including airport expansion, railways and roads comes to fruition in the next 10 years.