JEDDAH — King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah received the bulk of Umrah pilgrims who arrived from abroad this season. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Haj and Umrah, 69 percent of pilgrims traveled through the airport. The ministry said 6.75 million Umrah visas were issued this season, which is an increase of nearly 6 percent compared to last year when 6.39 million visas were issued. Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Saleh Banten said the growth in the number of pilgrims and visitors was in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. The ministry's report said economic and security conditions contributed to the drop in Umrah performers from some countries such as Egypt, Turkey and Jordan. There was an increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims from the United States, Germany, Norway and other countries. Pakistanis topped the list of Umrah pilgrims this year with a total of 1,446,284, which is up 45 percent compared to the previous year. Indonesians came second with 875,958 pilgrims, which is a 25 increase from last year. Indians came next with 524,604 pilgrims while 80,977 pilgrims came from Bangladesh. A total of 264,878 Umrah visas were issued to Iraqis, an increase of 58 percent compared to last year. Mohammed Al-Klaiby, undersecretary at the Ministry of Haj and Umrah, said occupancy rates in hotels in Makkah and Madinah were very high this season. He said there was a 113 percent increase in occupancy at five-star hotels while the occupancy rate in four-star hotels rose by 71.2 percent.
