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500 Umrah visas for each contractor

ABU DHABI - All Haj and Umrah contractors in the UAE would be allowed to register 500 Umrah seekers for the current Hijri month of Rajab, according to an understanding reached between the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Auqaf (GAIAA) and Saudi Haj authorities.

A GAIAA official told Khaleej Times that the quota would go down in the next two months of Shaban and holy month of Ramadan to less than 500, and this will definitely raise the expense of the journey to the holy lands.

The owner of Nasser Haj and Umrah Company, Nasser Al Nuaimi, said the GAIAA had notified all Haj and Umrah operators that the Saudi embassy would not issue more than 500 Umrah visas for each operator in the current month.

The stay period will be 25 days in the holy lands, instead of one month as stamped previously.

Most operators have set a price schedule for Umrah during holy month of Ramadan. The land trip during Ramadan will cost Dh3,300 compared to Dh2,000 in 2007 while the air trip expense has gone up from Dh6,500 to Dh 7,500 this year.

The manager of Al Maghfra campaign, Sidiq Ibrahim, told Khaleej Times that this is the first time that the quota of Umrah performers has been fixed, a move that has prompted rise in expenses during Ramadan as most of the people like to perform the ritual during this month.

|adel@khaleejtimes.com