Umrah visa issue nears 1m mark

The number of Umrah visas issued this year has reached 998,670, of which 695,740 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom, according to data provided by the Hajj and Umrah Ministry.

There are 294,767 pilgrims still in the Kingdom, with 198,786 in Makkah and 95,981 in Madinah.

Most pilgrims — 650,702 — came to the Kingdom by air, while 45,010 entered by land and 28 arrived by sea.

The largest number of pilgrims are from Pakistan (262,695), India (140,505), Indonesia (131,908), Yemen (26,334), Malaysia (21,767) and the UAE (14,667).

Developing Hajj and Umrah organizations 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.

Recently, Hajj Ministry launched a weekly indicator whereby authorities can track the number of pilgrims coming into the Kingdom, and in turn enrich their experiences by providing high-quality services.