By Akram Medhat
Eman Samy, head of the Religious Tourism Committee at the Chamber of Tourism Companies, told Travel Yalla News in exclusive statements that the Umrah season of 1438 AH/2017 AD closed this week with the departure of the last trips, recording 602,123 Egyptian Umrah pilgrims over the three months of Rajab, Shaaban and Ramadan.
The number of Umrah pilgrims this year fell 52% compared with last season, 1437 AH/2016 AD, which saw the highest Umrah turnout, at 1.3 million Egyptian pilgrims. This sharp decline was due to the late start of the current season, which opened in mid-February last, with the first trips departing on March 29, corresponding to the first of Rajab, as well as the sharp rise in program prices after the flotation of the Egyptian pound and the doubling of the Saudi riyal's value against it.
It is worth noting that the return period for Egyptian Umrah pilgrims has been extended until 14 Shawwal, instead of the previous deadline for return trips of 5 Shawwal, in order to avoid congestion of Umrah flights in arrival halls during the blessed Eid al-Fitr, given the heavy flight operations in that period.
Read also:
Breaking: 108,000 Citizens Apply for 2017 Tourist Hajj Lottery
