Huge rise in demand for Umrah travel expected: Qatar

Huge rise in demand for Umrah travel expected: Qatar

The number of pilgrims from Qatar performing Umrah and Haj during the holy month of Ramadan has doubled.

Owners and managers of the Umrah and Haj campaigns said the option to travel by land has significantly contributed to the increase in the demand to perform Umrah.

Demand for Umrah and Haj campaigns is expected to increase during the last 10 days of the blessed month of Ramadan, they added.

Hatem al-Khalidi, owner of the "Hatem" campaign for Haj and Umrah, said the cheaper cost of road travel in comparison to flights was one of the contributing factors to the rising demand. The price of the road trip ranges from QR2,100-QR2,300, while airfare costs range from QR3,500-QR7,000 for four- or five-day packages.

An increase in prices is expected during the last 10 days of Ramadan.

Samira Hussein al-Yafei, owner of the "Tawaf" campaign for Umrah, said there has been an uptrend during Ramadan, with a 100% increase in the rate of reservations compared to last year. She too believed that demand is likely to double in the last 10 days of the blessed month.

Visa procedures are streamlined, she said, adding that some campaigns run weekly trips, by bus or by air.

Majdi Rizk, director of the "Good"