Over 200 Saudi companies specializing in Umrah (minor pilgrimage) tourism met yesterday afternoon at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry to hear the details of a Saudi-Egyptian Umrah agreement that will facilitate the entry of an additional 700,000 Egyptian Umrah pilgrims into the Kingdom every year.
According to Prince Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Faisal, Deputy Chairman of the National Committee for Hajj and Umrah Tourism, the extra Umrah pilgrims could inject more that SR500 million into the Western Region, particularly Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. “Egyptian Umrah pilgrims constitute a third of all Umrah visitors,” he told the Jeddah-based Arab News. “We are expecting approximately half a million Egyptian Umrah pilgrims this year alone.”
Source: SPA
