 | |
| Source: Ministry of Haj and Umra, KSA. |
HE Dr Dya-eddine Bamakhrama, Dean of the diplomatic corps in the KSA, has noted the smooth umrah season for 2015/2016 (1437) and noted that the facilities have been able to cope with a significant number of umrah pilgrims to date. Numbers had been estimated to reach 6 million in late June, but more than 6.5 million visas have been issued to date.
The efficient organisation of the umrah infrastructure is due in part to a number of field initiatives launched by HE the Minister of Haj and Umra Dr Mohammed Saleh Bentin to support umrah pilgrimage rituals. This included establishing the Hajj and umrah pilgrims’ services centres in Makkah and Madinah, expanding the number of pilgrims per umrah season pilgrims’ capacity; and increasing the responsibilities for field oversight and followup committees. The Hajj pilgrims’ e-bracelet initiative has been launched and will be introduced this year.