‘Saudi visa fee exemptions to increase number of Jordanian visitors’

AMMAN — Saudi authorities’ recent decision to allow a free visa once a year for visitors wishing to perform umra and Hajj (the lesser and greater Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca) will reactivate the influx of visitors and allow the market’s performance to pick up, a sector leader said.

In a phone interview with The Jordan Times on Saturday, Shaher Hamdan, president of the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents, said the decision went into effect on Thursday and includes all countries.

After this year’s pilgrimage season, Saudi authorities issued new regulations that require any individual from any nationality wishing to enter the country for any reason — including work, family visits or Hajj and umra — to obtain a visa that costs 2,000 riyals (around JD380).

On Thursday, the Saudi government agreed to allow a free visa once a year for those seeking to perform umra, in addition to the once-a-year Hajj season. The decision covers all countries. 

The initial decision to require visa fees has significantly decreased the number of visitors from all over the world, an issue that negatively affected the performance of travel agencies and investments in Mecca and Medina, according to Hamdan.

Before the regulatory decision, around 450,000 individuals used to visit Saudi Arabia from Jordan to perform umra every year, a figure he said could have dropped by 90 per cent if no visa fee exemptions were issued.

During the umra peak season, which starts two weeks after the new Hijri year, usually 25,000 to 30,000 people from Jordan visit Saudi Arabia, a figure that has dropped since the beginning of this year’s season to around 2,000 visitors.

“Many people like to perform umra every year,” said Hamdan, adding that usually entire families perform the lesser pilgrimage at this time of the year to benefit from reduced prices that could get as low as JD90 per person for a 9- or 10-day umra trip.

The umra season also peaks before Ramadan, he added.