Hajj to generate SAR32bn revenues
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Hajj revenues this year are projected to reach almost SAR32 billion, a three-percent increase from the SAR31 bn spent in 2013, according to a recent study conducted by Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).
The study also forecast that around 1.4 m foreign pilgrims and 600,700 domestic pilgrims would perform Hajj this year. These figures indicate that 70% of Hajj pilgrims come from abroad, contributing to a whopping 89% of revenues, or SAR28 bn.
This year’s estimates are similar to last year’s figures based on the fact that government restrictions on number of pilgrims remain in place due to ongoing expansion works at the Grand Mosque. The number of pilgrims from foreign countries was cut by 20%, while number of domestic pilgrims was scaled down by more than half to make way for the revamp.
Pilgrim spending was also estimated according to average expenditure in 2009. Foreign pilgrims had spent an average of just over SAR17,000 each and domestic pilgrims around SAR5,000 each that year.
The latest figures are a 21-percent decline from the 1.75 million foreigners that performed Haj in 2012 and a 57-percent decline from the 1.4 million locals who had traveled to Makkah for the pilgrimage that same year. Naturally, pilgrims coming from economically advanced countries tend to spend more than people coming from poorer countries.
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