SHARJAH // Prices for umrah pilgrimages have risen as much as 50 per cent during Ramadan amid increased demand and a shortage of accommodation in Mecca. A number of haj and umrah tour operators in Sharjah said that the development under way in the holy city was responsible for the hike in prices. Saudi Arabian authorities in April announced plans to expand the holy mosque in Mecca, which would necessitate the demolition of about 600 buildings.
"There have been some buildings and hotels removed to help this expansion," said Mohammed al Sayed, the manager of the tour operator Al Ansar Hajj and Umrah. "As a result there is some kind of hotel shortage and existing hotels have increased their prices." A room in a low-end hotel that cost Dh150 in previous years is now being offered at Dh400, he said. Samir Fouad, a director of al Manar Hajj and Umrah, said the cost of umrah trips by road had increased 25 per cent and prices of packages including air travel had risen from Dh25,000 to as much as Dh40,000.
The increased demand from the UAE was also under strain from the quota of 15,000 Emiratis permitted to make the trip, said Abdullah al Maaboud, the director of Al Matroushi Hajj and Umrah. "We think it is because last summer many people had financial problems with the global crisis, and with the recovery this summer many are willing to go for Umrah," he said. Mr al Maaboud's office is charging Dh35,000 for an air package that cost Dh30,000 last year.
The UAE General Authority of Islamic Affairs cannot set prices in a free market and operators have varying expenses, Mohammed Obaid al Mazroui, the authority's executive director, said. "We are just asking umrah and haj operators not to hike prices as this would stop many Muslims from performing the religious ritual," he said. And those wishing to take the trip on short notice might be out of luck.
The deadline for applications for this year's umrah visas passed last Monday and the Saudi Embassy is not accepting new applications. ykakande@thenational.ae