Pakistan tops Umrah pilgrims number

KARACHI: The number of Umrah visas issued this year has reached 3,486,363, of which the largest number of pilgrims are from Pakistan totalling 776,326.

Pakistan is followed by Indonesia at 508,180, India at 343,396, Yemen at 170,016, Malaysia at 163,202, Egypt at 147,545, Turkey at 116,081, Algeria at 106,358 and Bangladesh at 75,153, international media reported.

So far 3,020,686 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom, according to data provided by the Hajj and Umrah Ministry of Saudi Arabia. There are 467,017 pilgrims still in the Kingdom, with 326,440 in Makkah and 140,577 in Madinah.

Most pilgrims — 2,680,863 — came to the Kingdom by air, while 317,948 entered by land and 21,875 arrived by sea. The weekly data also included the number of Saudi staff members within Umrah companies and institutions. They are 10,012 Saudis including 8,285 males and 1,727 females.

Developing Hajj and Umrah organisations and services in the Kingdom is among the top priorities of the Saudi government. The Vision 2030 reform plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims and provide them with excellent services and an outstanding experience.