Low-cost domestic Haj booking starts next week

The Haj Ministry will next week start receiving on-line applications from both Saudi and expatriate domestic pilgrims for low-cost Haj amid objections from the local 207 Haj service-providers.

The ministry, on its part, said it has completed all procedures to receive applications according to the charges that will serve the interests of both the pilgrims and companies.

The companies, however, said the charges decided by the ministry are too low to meet the cost of accommodation, food, transport and other services.

The ministry is offering domestic pilgrims three options for the low-cost Haj starting from SR6,000 and going down to SR3,000.

According to the ministry, those who opt to be accommodated in tower buildings and five-star hotels in Makkah, travel by air and move between the holy sites in buses and the train which can accommodate up to 135,000 pilgrims should pay SR6,000. The second category should pay from SR3,000 to SR5,250 to be accommodated in Mina in tents classified from A to F and will be using buses for transport in addition to the train which can transport up to 50,000 pilgrims.

The third and last category can pay only SR3,000 but pilgrims will be accommodated in various buildings in Makkah and will be transported by buses and the train during the days of Tashriq (the second, third and fourth day after the Eid). The train’s capacity for this category of pilgrims is 5,000.

The ministry said interested pilgrims can apply through its electronic gate on the Internet.

A six-man sub-committee of the National Haj and Umrah Committee is expected to meet soon to decide on charges which are acceptable to both parties.

Osama Filali, committee member and Saad Al-Qurashi, a former member, are optimistic that the meeting will come up with solutions that meet the aspirations of the pilgrims and Haj companies at the same time.

They said the committee will be considering a number of studies and proposals on the subject before recommending concrete suggestions to the ministry.