Riyadh, September 29: Saudi religious tourism business, particularly hotels and tour operators, are bracing for major losses during the annual hajj season with many Muslims reluctant to travel to the holy lands because of swine flu fears.
“We’re receiving cancellations from all over the world,” Waleed Abu Sabaa, who runs 20 hotels in the holy cities of Makkah and Medina, told.
“If it goes on like this, we’re going to be in big trouble.”
More than two million Muslims flock to Saudi Arabia every year to perform the spiritual journey of hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
But amidst warnings of a possible outbreak of swine flu during the hajj season in November, many pilgrims seem reluctant to confirm their reservation.
Iman Samy, vice president of Golden Tours, a famous Egyptian travel agency that organizes hajj trips, notes that usually by this time of the year they would know the number of people travelling for hajj.
“But this year it’s too early,” she said.
“The (Saudi) hotels are just waiting to see if we’re going to take the rooms or not. They’ve stopped even asking us for the money.”
Health officials from the 22 Arab countries had earlier banned the elderly and young children from applying to go on hajj and `Umrah over swine flu fears.
The swine flu (H1N1), a mixture of various swine, bird and human viruses, first emerged in Mexico in April, killing more than 2,837 people around the world so far.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is moving around the globe at “unprecedented speed.”
Less Business
Abu Sabaa, also head of the Hotels and Tourism Committee in the Makkah Chamber of Commerce, cited a great drop in the number of pilgrims during the Ramadan season.
He estimated a 50 percent drop in Makkah hotels occupancy compared with last year.
“There is an absence of Gulf pilgrims from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain or Oman,” Saud Mohammad, a jewellery dealer, told Reuters.
Hamdi, a Makkah vendor, lamented this has spoiled their best business season of the year, when millions of pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia from around the world.
“In previous years people were buying a lot but now only a few come which is hitting sales.”
Arabian Business magazine estimated at $266 million the losses of Makkah and Madinah businesses during the `Umrah season.
The Saudi health Ministry confirmed Monday that only 26 swine flu cases were reported during the Ramadan `Umrah season.
“The ministry continues to follow closely the disease among pilgrims and visitors from all areas through epidemiological surveillance and laboratory diagnosis of suspected cases.”
-Agencies