Saturday, December 22, 2018

RIYADH — The Ministry of Haj and Umrah, publishing its weekly data, said the number of Umrah visas to prospective pilgrims reached 2,217,728 until Dec. 20 (Rabi Al-Thani 13) since the start of the season.

It said 1,745,072 pilgrims already arrived in the Kingdom. It added that 1,349,139 of these pilgrims left the country after completing the rituals of the minor pilgrimage while the remaining 395,933 pilgrims are in Makkah and Madinah.

The number of Saudi employees serving the pilgrims reached 7,793 males and 1,585 females.

A total of 1,600,058 pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom by air while 144,307 entered through various land entry points and 707 via seaports.

According to the ministry, Pakistanis constituted the largest group of Umrah pilgrims by nationality with 510,765 of them arriving in the Kingdom this season. They were followed by 313,610 Indonesians, 244,040 Indians, 121,723 Malaysians, 87,040 Yemenis, 63,760 Algerians, 46,455 Turkish, 43,913 Bengalis, 43,045 Emiratis, and 40,891 Egyptians.

The weekly indicator was launched to enable authorities to track the number of pilgrims coming into the Kingdom, and, in turn, enrich their experiences by providing high-quality services.

The indicator focuses on four main aspects, which are the number of issued visas, the total number of pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom via air, land, and sea, the number of pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, and the number of pilgrims leaving the Kingdom after completing the Umrah rituals. — SG

Source: http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/550763