More than 535,423 Umrah visas issued in 2018

RIYADH: The number of Umrah visas issued this year has reached 535,423 of which 278,706 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom, according to Saudi 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, Arab news reported.

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.