Kingdom sees 58 percent annual increase in foreign pilgrim inflows over previous year
More than 13.5 million Muslims performed the Umrah pilgrimage in 2023 – the highest number of international pilgrims to have ever performed the ritual, the Kingdom’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq al-Rabiah said.
Last year saw a 58 percent increase in pilgrims, with a total of five million more pilgrims than its previous year, the minister said.
“I am pleased to share some good and unprecedented news. The highest number of pilgrims arriving from outside the Kingdom in 2019 was 8.5 million. This year [2023], and in light of the facilities introduced by the Kingdom’s leadership, the number rose to 13,550,000 million Umrah pilgrims,” al-Rabiah told the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition.
Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which can be undertaken at any time of the year, unlike the Hajj, which has specific dates.
According to al-Rabiah, the country has made significant improvements to develop the infrastructure of the holy sites through projects that have exceeded $1.3 billion.
Some of the developments include the addition of 150,000 new air-conditioning units to help the pilgrims perform the ritual during the hot summer months and more than 14,000 restrooms and bathing areas.
Launch of e-Visas
During the conference, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed el-Khereiji revealed the launch of electronic visas or e-visas in December 2023 for Umrah pilgrims, helping them easily obtain entry permits without the need to physically visit the embassy.
Electronic visas will also help address health and security challenges, such as forged visas, that the ministry has been working to prevent in coordination with security authorities, he added.
Running from January 8-11 at the Jeddah Superdome, the conference is being organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, in partnership with the Guests of God Service Program, which is part of the Saudi Vision 2030.
The conference includes a series of sessions and workshops on the future development of cities and holy sites and other related topics.