Hundreds of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims will not be able to travel to Saudi Arabia this year after Saudi authorities extended restrictions on travelers from 20 countries, including Pakistan. Saudi Arabia has extended travel restrictions until May 17.
A large number of Umrah pilgrims from Pakistan travel to Saudi Arabia every year, but the number of Umrah pilgrims from Pakistan has been very limited for over a year due to phased restrictions on international flights.
According to official figures, the number of Umrah pilgrims leaving Pakistan in 2019 was more than 2 million, while in 2018 it was close to 1.7 million.
According to Hajj and Umrah tour operator travelers in Pakistan, "bookings for Umrah pilgrims are made from Pakistan throughout the year, but during Ramadan, bookings increase by 50 to 60 percent."
During Ramadan, more than 200,000 people from Pakistan travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, but this year, as last year, aspiring pilgrims to perform Umrah during the month of Ramadan could not travel to Saudi Arabia. Will
"The corona epidemic has severely affected the business of tour operators. Last year, due to limited Hajj and Umrah, the business was almost paralyzed. Will
It may be recalled that on February 27, 2020, the Saudi authorities announced a temporary ban on the entry of foreign Umrah pilgrims. From November 2020, foreign Umrah pilgrims were allowed to enter the country on a limited scale with Corona SOPs.
The number of Umrah pilgrims from Pakistan has been very low due to SOPs and a limited number of Umrah visas. The Corona epidemic has also led to an increase in the cost of Umrah due to SOPs, which has also led to a much lower than a usual number of visitors.
It should be noted that from February 3, 2021, due to the increase in corona cases, the Saudi authorities once again banned visitors from 20 countries, including Pakistan, which has been extended until May 17.
Like last year, this year too, due to air sanctions, Pakistan's state-owned airline PIA has also suffered severe financial losses.
According to a PIA spokesperson, "the national carrier collects Rs 35 billion in revenue from Hajj and Umrah, but for the past one year, the company has suffered heavy financial losses due to limited flights for Umrah."
PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said, "Every year during Ramadan, the number of special flights for Umrah pilgrims is increased because the number of pilgrims in Ramadan has increased dramatically. However, like last year, this year too Umrah in Ramadan Flights are closed.
"The PIA had also introduced a special package for Umrah to allow limited Umrah, but the number of visitors has been lower than usual due to the corona virus," he said.
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