Ministry: More than 5.7 million Umrah visas issued so far

Saturday, April 13, 2019


RIYADH: The number of Umrah visas issued this year has reached 5,730,842, of which 5,273,075 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom, according to data provided by the Hajj Ministry.

There are 472,043 pilgrims still in the Kingdom, with 330,560 in Makkah and 141,483 in Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Most pilgrims — 4,706,764 — came to the Kingdom by air, while 504,116 entered by land and 62,195 arrived by sea.

The largest number of pilgrims are from Pakistan (1,222,459) followed by Indonesia (808,698), India (513,031), Egypt (31,604), Turkey (250,713), Yemen (246,992), Malaysia (243,793), Algeria (226,538), Iraq (185,051) and Jordan (148,041).

The weekly data also included the number of Saudi staff within Umrah companies and institutions. There are 10,481 Saudis including 8,674 males and 1,807 females.

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has intensified its services around the clock, including cleaning, maintenance and operation works in the mataf, the Masa’a, the vault, King Fahd’s Expansion, and all the mosque’s levels and compounds.

A guidance service educates pilgrims and visitors on religious matters, and guides them in the proper performance of their rituals.

Developing Hajj and Umrah organizations and services in the Kingdom is among the top priorities of the Saudi government.

The Vision 2030 reform plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims, and provide them with excellent services and an outstanding experience.


 

Source: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1482116/saudi-arabia