JEDDAH: The number of Umrah visas issued this year has reached 535,423 of which 278,706 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom, according to data provided by the Hajj and Umrah Ministry.
There are 202,792 pilgrims still in the Kingdom —140,848 in Makkah and 61,944 in Madinah.
Most pilgrims — 261,187 — came to the Kingdom by air, while 17,519 entered by land. None arrived by sea.The largest number of pilgrims arrived from Pakistan (119,776) followed by India (72,442), Indonesia (31,729), Yemen (7,337) and Jordan (6,447).
The Vision 2030 reform plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims, and provide them with excellent services.
Developing Hajj and Umrah organizations and services in the Kingdom is among the top priorities of the Saudi government.
Recently, the ministry launched a weekly indicator whereby authorities can track the number of pilgrims coming into the Kingdom, and in turn enrich their experiences by providing high-quality services.
Earlier, Jeddah airport’s director general said that more than 10 million Umrah pilgrims are expected to come through the airport. The airport is Saudi Arabia’s largest and the first facility to serve pilgrims traveling by air, accounting for 40 percent of passenger movement in the Kingdom.
More than 535,423 Umrah visas issued
More than 535,423 Umrah visas issued
- More than 10 million Umrah pilgrims are expected to come through the airport
Hajj Ministry suspends 1,800 foreign Umrah travel agency contracts
- Operators given 10 days to meet standards after performance review highlights service shortcomings, non-compliance
- Umrah performers holding valid visas or existing reservations will not be affected
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the suspension of contracts with 1,800 foreign travel agencies operating in the Umrah sector, out of approximately 5,800, giving them 10 days to rectify their status.
The decision follows the results of a periodic evaluation that revealed performance shortcomings and poor service quality among these agencies, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The ministry stated that the suspension applies only to the issuance of new visas and is part of a regulatory approach to help agencies address classification issues and improve compliance with approved standards.
Contracts will be reactivated once the requirements are met within the grace period, according to the ministry.
The ministry confirmed that Umrah performers holding valid visas or existing reservations will not be affected, as services to them will continue unchanged.
It added that applying the approved classification and performance indicators is a fundamental regulatory measure to raise compliance among service providers and ensure services meet approved standards.
The ministry emphasized that protecting the rights of Umrah performers and ensuring service continuity are priorities in all regulatory measures.
Ghassan Alnwaimi, the ministry’s spokesperson, said regulatory action will be taken against any agency that fails to correct deficiencies by the deadline.
He added that the ministry will continue using monitoring and evaluation tools to strengthen the reliability of the Umrah sector and safeguard pilgrims’ rights.
