RIYADH/JEDDAH – The charges for internal Umrah and Haj rituals from the Kingdom's various regions has reached a record high because of the increasing number of citizens and expatriates planning to perform Haj this year. Another factor which has contributed to this unprecedented rise in charges is that all hotels, residential units and furnished flats in Makkah are fully booked. Available information indicates that charges for internal Haj services this year range between SR6,000 to SR7,000 for Class C, while charges for Class A&B services run between SR10,000 to SR22,000. Abdullah Al-Swaileh, an employee at one of the offices at Al-Batha in Riyadh said: “The high demand for these services is mainly attributed to the great efforts the organizers or the office exert in the holy sites.” He said there has been an increase in the demand for rented buildings, furnished flats and hotels by the external Umrah companies; it has reflected an increase in demand and drop in supply of the buildings in Makkah. Saleh Al-Hamoud said, “The demand for the Haj and Umrah travel started from the beginning of Shawwal unlike the case in the past when it used to start from the first week of the month of Dhul-Qidah. He said more than 1,200 offices provide services for internal Umrah performers and pilgrims and each office has its own programs in terms of quality of services and quality of buses and hotels. He said some of the Haj and Umrah companies launch marketing campaigns to attract more pilgrims by providing medical services by trained doctors and nurses who accompany the campaigns throughout the Haj. They monitor the pilgrims especially those who suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Omar Al-Mubaraki, a citizen of Tabuk, said: “There is remarkable increase in the Haj charges as compared to the past year. Class C which is the lowest category and its charges are SR4,800. It is almost 50% more than the last year.” Daghshar Ayyashi, manager of a Haj service company, said: “We started receiving applications from pilgrims this year early. We have a limited capacity and have divided the pilgrims into three — A,B and C — groups. The cheapest is C. Our charges are fixed.” He said his office provides integrated services and facilities to the pilgrims under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Haj. Some investors in Haj tours and travels in the Eastern Province said the committees set up by the governorate, ministry's branch in Dammam and mayoralty to oversee the service providers, has effectively helped in combating the fraudulent Haj services this year. He said the three-man committee verifies the documents of each company and that the field inspection tours have resulted in sealing off of many fake offices. He said the Haj charges have registered tremendous increase. Class C pilgrims who travel by land are charged between SR6,500-SR7,500 while those who travel by air are charged SR10,000 to SR15,000.
