Sunday, July 19, 2026

«Al Jazeera» - SPA:

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Guests of God Service Program announced an increase in the number of arrivals with Umrah visas to 931.5 thousand pilgrims, since the beginning of the Umrah season on (15 Dhul Hijjah) until the end of Muharram 1448 AH, a growth rate of 22.5% compared to the same period last year. The number of pilgrims arriving from outside the Kingdom exceeded 1.27 million pilgrims, amid an integrated system of services provided to the guests of God, in fulfillment of the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the Guests of God Service Program.

The Ministry affirmed that this reflects the great support that the Guests of God service system receives from the wise leadership - may God support them - and the integration among government agencies that the system is witnessing, and the continuous development of digital and operational services, which contributes to improving the experience of pilgrims and visitors and enhancing the quality of services provided to them.

According to statistics for the period from 15 Dhul Hijjah to the end of Muharram 1448 AH, the Ministry explained that 75% of foreign pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom through air ports, while 25% arrived through land and sea ports. It added that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ranked first in terms of the number of arriving pilgrims with 200,000 pilgrims, followed by the Republic of Indonesia with 170,000, while the Republic of Iraq ranked third with 130,000 pilgrims.

The Ministry added that the Umrah system continues to develop its digital and operational services, enhance ease of access to services, and raise performance efficiency, in line with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and promote a more convenient and high-quality Umrah experience, from trip planning until the pilgrim's departure.