JEDDAH – An estimated 400,000 Umrah performers are arriving every month for minor pilgrimage this season, Minister of Haj Dr. Bandar Muhammad Hajjar was quoted as saying by the Saudi Press Agency, Friday. He said that more than 1.3 million Umrah visas have been issued by the ministry till now. Some 775,000 Umrah performers have already arrived in the Kingdom, said the minister, adding that all resources have been mobilized by the ministry and related agencies in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz. Hajjar expects the number of Umrah performers to increase to more than half a million compared to last year. The Kingdom witnesses a 10 to 20 percent increase in the number of Umrah performers every year, he said. Egyptians, Pakistanis and Algerians are expected to top the list of number of Umrah performers, according to official statistics issued by Saudi embassies in over 70 countries. In Ramadan, the figure is expected to rise to one million and by the end of the season it will touch the six million mark. Last season, the number of Umrah performers reached five million. The minister confirmed the readiness of the electronic tracking system, adding that the ministry personnel through electronic systems and field committees tours the places where Umrah performers are staying to monitor the services provided to them. Hajjar denied that the expansion of the Mataaf area will affect the number of Umrah performers this season. He stressed that Umrah companies ought to comply with the conditions agreed on with pilgrims. The minister said the holy site development projects are meant to develop and modernize the Jamarat Bridge, complete the Masha'er train etc. – SG
