Asia leading the way in making haj affordable for its citizens
Photo: Muslims pray at the Grand mosque ahead of the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in this August 26, 2017 mobile phone image. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
With another haj season over, rising accommodation and flight costs continue to be blamed for increasingly expensive privately-run haj tours, with prices from markets such as Britain tripling this decade. Yet state subsidies in many Asian countries are helping make the pilgrimage cheaper for citizens.
Religious pilgrims were Saudi Arabia’s biggest source of income prior to the discovery of oil and the kingdom has spent some of its vast energy receipts on redeveloping and expanding the infrastructure surrounding its holy sites.
Mecca’s historic neighbourhoods have been razed, largely to make way for luxury accommodation, with Saudi targeting an increase in the number of haj visitors to 2.5 million by 2020.
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Matt Smith