Fewer UAE residents travelling for Haj

The rising cost of travel and hotels to Mecca, as well as ongoing construction at the holy site, mean fewer people are making the pilgrimage from the UAE this year.

Fazal Karim, managing director of a Dubai-based company, says he is excited at the prospect of performing Haj for the second time, despite the rising costs of making the trip. Pawan Singh / The NationalShow less

ABU DHABI // Fazal Karim was busy this week finalising his Haj preparations. The 32-year-old Afghan national left for the pilgrimage with his wife yesterday.

Yet despite the excitement of this “journey of a lifetime”, the cost of the trip was weighing heavily on Mr Karim’s shoulders.

“I am very excited and looking forward to my days in Mecca and Medina,” Mr Karim said before he set off. He runs a business in Dubai and is performing Haj for the second time. Yet he feels expenses have increased significantly in recent years.

“Just a few years ago, I paid Dh35,000 for one person. Now it has reached up to Dh55,000 for expatriates,” he said. According to Mr Karim the major expenses involve travel and hotels.

However, he said that overall he had been satisfied with the Haj arrangements set out by travel agencies in the UAE.

Saif Al Rashidi, a 30-year-old Emirati education officer, said that the UAE authorities had been very helpful when making arrangements for pilgrimages. “Our Government is very good and takes care of us very well,” he said.

Mr Al Rashidi, who is also doing Haj for the second time, feels that costs are increasing.

“Last year, the cost was between Dh20,000 and Dh25,000. Now [there is] nothing less than Dh35,000,” he said.

But he said that money was not an important factor when it came to fulfilling a religious duty.

“It is such a special occasion. I am only thinking about my Haj prayers and nothing else,” he said.

Between September 25 and September 29, 4,982 people are expected to be travelling for Haj from the UAE alone.

According the Ministry of Awqaf (General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments), the ministry is also sending about nine officials and 136 administrators to Saudi Arabia to manage related work during the Haj.

There are 125 licensed travel agencies in the UAE permitted to make Haj travel arrangements.

“It is going to be a 13-day Haj tour, starting from the 25th of this month,” said Shakeel Qureshi, of Sadaf Travels. “The total Haj cost for an expatriate is about Dh55,000 per person and for UAE nationals the cost comes up to Dh35,000 per person,” he said.

Out of more than 200 applicants, his company is taking about 72 pilgrims from the UAE. Of these, 55 are nationals.

“Air tickets, transport, five-star hotel stay in Mecca and Medina along with three meals a day adds to the cost,” he said.

Mr Qureshi said the ministry was very strict about rules and regulations and measures were taken to take care of the pilgrims.

He said that owing to ongoing reconstruction work in and around the Holy Ka’aba in Mecca, fewer people were visiting.

“This year, the number of Hajis has decreased compared with previous years,” he said, although numbers were almost identical to last year when allocations were reduced, and the cost of hotel rooms rose, because of the building works in Mecca.

Mr Qureshi said he hoped that the quota would increase next year.

According to the five pillars of Islam, the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca should be undertaken by anyone who is financially and physically capable of making the journey, and should be done at least once in a lifetime.

Pilgrims performing Haj each year are considered the largest gathering of people in the world.