Saudi Arabia issues 2.78 million Umrah visas so far

Muslims pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Haj pilgrimage in in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Monday Aug 28, 2017. (AP)

Muslim pilgrims sit and circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia on August 28, 2017. (AFP)

• The Vision 2030 reform plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims, and provide them with excellent services and an outstanding experience

JEDDAH: The number of Umrah visas issued this year has reached 2,785,790, of which 2,346,429 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom, according to data provided by the Hajj and Umrah Ministry.
There are 345,114 pilgrims still in the Kingdom, with 233,910 in Makkah and 111,204 in Madinah.
Most pilgrims — 2,122,424 — came to the Kingdom by air, while 213,121 entered by land and 10,884 arrived by sea.
The largest number of pilgrims are from Pakistan (637,745) followed by Indonesia (420,410), India (292,607), Malaysia (135,895), Yemen (128,618), Egypt (73,179), Turkey (65,970), the UAE (59,855) and Bangladesh (57,701).
The Vision 2030 reform plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims, and provide them with excellent services and an outstanding experience.
Last year, 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.