Dozens of buildings licensed for Hajj accommodation in Makkah would remain vacant this year following Saudi Hajj ministry’s 20 percent cut of the number of foreign pilgrims.
The cut in the quotas has been ordered due to the vast expansion projects in the two Holy Mosques and other ritual sites, Al-Madinah daily reported.
Nigeria, which hitherto had 95, 000 pilgrims for the 2013 Hajj exercise was slashed to 76,000 due to the expansion project.
Most of the unoccupied buildings are located in Al-Mabeda, Al-Aziziya, Al-Zahir, and Al-Mansoor neighbourhoods while some are situated near the Central Area of the Grand Mosque. Despite their strategic locations, these buildings have not succeeded in attracting any pilgrims this year.
The reason is that the imposing residential towers that can accommodate over 1,000 pilgrims have been the favourite place for many Hajj delegation leaders who prefer to let their pilgrims stay in a tower instead of a smaller building.
Buildings usually accommodate between 200-500 pilgrims and the owners will miss a chance to benefit from housing revenues estimated to be SR3 billion.
Abdulaziz Al-Harbi, a building owner, says he used to rent his two buildings quickly in previous years but this year he has not found any Hajj delegation interested in renting any of them.
Rent costs a pilgrim between SR1, 000-SR3, 000, he said. Although Al-Harbi reduced this amount, he could not succeed in attracting any overseas Hajj company. “I’m still hopeful that I’ll rent both buildings before the Hajj season although there’s no much time left,” he said.
Zuhair Makki, head of the Hajj accommodation inspection committee, told Al-Madinah that the committee has issued 5,300 housing licenses for buildings over the past 10 months. He noted that the licensed buildings can accommodate up to 1.5 million pilgrims this season.
Daily trust
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