Saudi Arabia issues more than 4.33 million Umrah visas

Muslim worshippers perform the evening (Isha) prayers at the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on August 25, 2017. (AFP)

• Developing Hajj and Umrah organizations and services in the Kingdom is among the top priorities of the Saudi government

RIYADH: The number of Umrah visas issued this year by Saudi Arabia has reached more than 4.33 million.
According to data provided by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the total figure for approved visas stands at 4,338,959, of which 3,892,554 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom. There are 443,560 pilgrims still in the country, with 304,897 of them in Makkah and 138,663 in Madinah.
Most pilgrims — 3,464,929 — traveled to the Kingdom by air, while 392,632 entered by land and 34,993 arrived by sea.
The largest number of pilgrims are from Pakistan (949,895), followed by Indonesia (633,253), India (408,495), Yemen (206,980), Egypt (204327), Malaysia (200,873), Turkey (183,164), Algeria (138,092), and Bangladesh (99,629).
The weekly data also included 8,441 males and 1,738 females working within Umrah companies and institutions.
Developing Hajj and Umrah organizations and services in the Kingdom is among the top priorities of the Saudi government. Vision 2030 aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims and provide them with top-class services.