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Massive demand for accommodations is hiking up the price of the annual hajj pilgrimage to the Islamic holy city of Mecca. With the world's 1.6 billion Muslims obliged by religious duty to attempt the trip, and host Saudi Arabia able to accept only about 2.5 million a year, the costs have been rising an average of 3 to 5 percent a year. The holy trip costs several thousand dollars a person, as pilgrims prefer extending their trip up to two weeks and some up to two months for an extra tour around religious sites before or after the five-day rituals. "It takes around 20,000 to 30,000 yuan ($3,014 to $4,520) for a Chinese Muslim to travel to Mecca," Hai Long, an ethnic Hui Chinese in Beijing, told the Global Times Sunday. Amid a surge in the number of hajj applications, Shah Nawaz of Atlas Tours and Travels in Mumbai said the oil-rich Arab country has tried in vain to drive up rents and food in Mecca and Medina in a bid to curb the trend. Islamic faith requires believers to undertake pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime, if possible. In countries with large Muslim populations such as Pakistan, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh, governments provide cheap, subsidized tours. Agencies - Global Times |
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