During the third annual Haji and Umrah Services Conference in Jeddah, Dr. Tawfiq al-Rabiah, the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, has announced that, 13.55 million Umrah pilgrims were accommodated in 2023. This marked a historic high, with a 58 percent increase from 2019.
The Saudi Press Agency quoted the Minister announcing, the hosting of 13,550,000 million Muslims who performed the Umrah rituals during the year 2023, making it the most historic year for Muslims performing Umrah with an increase of 5 million and a percentage exceeding 58% compared to the previous highest number."
Umrah can be completed at any time of year, unlike Hajj, which has fixed dates. The Minister also highlighted that the current infrastructure development projects at the holy site have surpassed SAR 5 billion. Moreover, Eng. Waleed El-Khereiji, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, shared that the KSA Visa application launch in December 2023 for electronic visas. The initiative intends to simplify the visa application process by enabling pilgrims to obtain their visas electronically without the need to visit the embassy.
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