Experts: Differences in rituals reduce crowding, and the Prophet's Birthday season is the most in demand
Basel El-Sisi: I fear airports and services may be unable to absorb the numbers of Umrah pilgrims Saudi Arabia is targeting
Last season recorded more than one million Egyptian Umrah pilgrims, and the number is expected to rise
Egyptians are awaiting the new Umrah season, which embraces their dreams of visiting the Holy House of God in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, as Hajj offers limited opportunities at high prices. Despite the unexpected incidents of the past Hajj season, most notably the stampede at the holy sites in "Mina", which claimed the lives of thousands of pilgrims, among them 181 Egyptian dead and 53 missing in addition to the injured, according to official figures from the Egyptian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, and before that the collapse of a crane at the Grand Mosque as part of the expansion project, tourism companies affirmed that these incidents will not affect Egyptians' turnout for the coming Umrah season, especially its start during the Prophet's Birthday.
In this context, Basel El-Sisi, head of the Religious Tourism Committee and a board member of the Chamber of Tourism Companies, told Travel Yalla that the "Mina" incidents and the crane collapse at the Grand Mosque have a negative psychological effect on Umrah and Hajj pilgrims, but it fades quickly, because Egyptians' spirituality and religious devotion outweigh these incidents and make their effect momentary, and they will not affect bookings for the Umrah season.
He added that mistakes must not be overlooked and should be addressed in coming seasons, as this was not a passing incident given its noticeable negative impact on organizers and governments, noting that there were many shortcomings in the organization. The matter gave the Ministry of Hajj an opportunity to review some of its staff's plans for transport and the scheduling of pilgrim groups, and he expressed confidence that the Saudi authorities will reconsider this.
El-Sisi pointed out that although the number of Saudi agents has gradually declined over the years from 200 to 48, even as the number of Umrah pilgrims has grown, this does not affect the quality of services, nor does the success of the season depend on it. He even expected the number of agents to increase in light of the anticipated leap, especially after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's decision to raise the number of Umrah pilgrims from 500,000 to 1.25 million per month, but the concern is whether airports and domestic transport can absorb this huge targeted increase.
El-Sisi revealed that the number of Egyptian Umrah pilgrims reached 1.063 million during last year's Umrah season of 1436 AH, compared with 950,000 the year before, and that Egypt is among the countries with the highest turnout for Umrah. He noted that despite the rise in the number of Egyptians last year, it did not meet the demand of those wishing to perform Umrah, while the new system allows the numbers to increase, and the expansion of the Grand Mosque will be ready to receive Umrah pilgrims.
The "Prophet's Birthday" Outpaces "Ramadan"
The season begins with the Prophet's Birthday Umrah, which had the highest turnout last year compared with other seasons, recording 704,000 Egyptian pilgrims during the period from the month of Rabi' al-Awwal until 25 Jumada al-Akhirah, followed by the Ramadan Umrah season, which saw 146,000 Egyptian pilgrims. This period represents the highest concentration of Umrah pilgrims at a specific time, which is why a quota system is applied in issuing visas, along with a requirement to commit to a program of fixed duration.
The Prophet's Birthday Umrah season has recently become a bigger peak and more in demand among Egyptians than Ramadan. This year it has a special character as it coincides with the mid-year school holiday, which encourages turnout for Umrah programs during that period. The season runs from mid-December to mid-February.
On another note, El-Sisi explained that despite the continuing expansion project at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, which over the years has reduced the hotel capacity available in Mecca, there is no problem, as alternatives are available for more rooms in Mecca, though for some pilgrims they will be far from the Grand Mosque. As for Medina's hotels, their capacity was about 270,000 beds, and with the demolition of some hotels it will fall to about 250,000 beds. Technical solutions are being worked out for this, such as lengthening the stay in Mecca and shortening it in Medina.
In a related context, Ashraf Sheiha, head of the "Al Tayyar" Travel Group in Egypt, affirmed that the coming Umrah season will not be affected by the emergency incidents of the past Hajj season, adding that the Saudi authorities' announcement of the results of ongoing investigations into the causes of the accident, and of whether there were shortcomings in the organization, will help avoid any obstacles or problems that may arise, especially after the decision to sharply increase the number of Umrah pilgrims per month. He noted that the incidents have not changed service prices in contracts for the new season with Saudi agents.
Sheiha explained that the Umrah season differs from Hajj in several respects, most notably that its trips are spread over eight months of the year, with no gathering of millions at one time and no multiple rituals as in Hajj. It peaks only during Ramadan, particularly the last ten days, and is confined to the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Adel Shaaban, a member of the general assembly of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, agreed with them that the Umrah season will not be affected by the Hajj incidents, because Umrah is a main season for Egyptians that they cannot stop turning out for, owing to its low cost and its limited and different rituals, which reduce the crowding that can lead to accidents, in addition to the many travel opportunities and periods. In return, however, Saudi Arabia must reconsider its services, especially with the huge monthly increase it is targeting in the number of Umrah pilgrims, which reaches threefold.
Shaaban said that the overlap of holidays in the Gulf states and Egypt at the start of the Prophet's Birthday Umrah season, which coincides with the mid-year school holiday, could lead to some problems because of the heavy turnout if a high level of service and organization is not provided and the crowding mistakes of the last Hajj season are not avoided. He noted that the completion of the Grand Mosque expansions in time for the Umrah programs of Rajab, Sha'ban and Ramadan will end the crowding crisis.
Shaaban called on the Ministry of Tourism to apply an Umrah quota system jointly with the Saudi side, under which a quota would be set for each Saudi agent so that it can commit to a high level of service, along with clarity of the full Umrah program, so that every Egyptian tourism company would be entitled to carry out 10% of its business volume in the Umrah season from its start until the month of Rajab. This is applied in Saudi Arabia and should be applied in Egypt, to close the door on agents' trade in Umrah visas, which drives up program prices.
