S Arabia plans tripling of umrah visas

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is planning to triple the number of visas it issues for the umrah pilgrimage, newspapers reported on Monday, more than two weeks after a deadly Haj stampede.
The Saudi Gazette and Okaz newspapers quoted Haj Minister Bandar al-Hajjar as saying that as many as 1.25 million pilgrims are expected to arrive each month starting next year.
That compares with 400,000 a month now, the reports said.
The new system would allow full use of massive expansion projects at the kingdom’s holy sites, Hajjar was quoted as saying.
Umrah is a lesser pilgrimage carried out any time during the year.
The major Haj pilgrimage, which all Muslims with the means are expected to complete at least once in their lives, this year drew about two million faithful.
The number had declined, particularly because of a multi-billion-dollar expansion which began four years ago at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Islam’s holiest site.