Saudi government will issue two million visas during the ongoing Umrah season and in this context, 1.2 million visas have already been issued.
This is an increase of 237,681 visas, or 32 percent, compared with the same period last year, said Isa Rawas, Under-secretary at Saudi Ministry of Hajj for Umrah Affairs. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Hajj has directed all licensed Umrah service-providing companies and establishments to ensure that pilgrims in Makkah Mukarrmah and Madinah Munawarah are accommodated in hotels and furnished apartments approved by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
According to a press release received here on Sunday, that there are 71,000 rooms in Makkah Mukarrmah that could accommodate up to 900,000 pilgrims every month, while there are more than 30,000 rooms in Madinah Munawarah that could accommodate more than 365,000 pilgrims monthly. Rawas said the accommodation capacity in Makkah Mukarrmah would exceed a million pilgrims next week, while it is 400,000 for Madinah Munawarah.