The electronic Umrah system, which has been
approved as of this season, will organize the sector and get rid of
brokers, authorities have said. It will also save between 10 and 15
percent of the cost of hotel accommodation for those performing Umrah,
according to the chair of the national committee for Haj and Umrah for
Umrah Affairs, Abdullah Omar Qadhi. The committee met on Wednesday at
the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the presence of
representatives of Umrah service companies and Sajjil, the company
responsible for running the electronic system. The company also
explained the method of registration in the system and how those
performing Umrah could book hotel rooms. Qadhi said he expects a 25
percent increase in the number of Umrah performers this year against 6
million last year. He said owners of Umrah companies and hotels in
Makkah and Madinah would benefit from the new system.
All hotels will
come under the new system with the objective of facilitating hotel
bookings by Umrah companies. The relationship between Saudi Umrah
companies and hotels will move to electronic formats as bookings that
used to take 24 hours can now be carried out in a few seconds.
