Makkah: Rashid Abdullah displays Oriental perfumes on a glass table to late-night shoppers in his small shop in Makkah ready for what he hopes will be a sales bonanza during this month's Haj pilgrimage.

He is confident of attracting customers after fears of a swine flu outbreak kept many away last year.

"This year will be the best. There is really strong demand," he said, standing behind an incense collection in one of dozens souvenir shops around the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

Business has picked up in Islam's holiest city since Ramadan when many visit Makkah.

In 2009, the number of pilgrims fell to about 2.5 million but a record 4 million are expected next week when the Haj begins.

"We wanted to come last year but friends advised us to postpone so we came this year," said Shaikh Habib, a pilgrim from India who came with four members of his family.

While last year hotels had trouble filling rooms in Makkah and the nearby port city of Jeddah, where most arrive by air, this year hotels are almost entirely fully booked.

"People are really interested and everyone is trying to make up for last year ... things will be much better this year," said Walid Abu Sabaa, head of the tourism and hotels committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce.

Makkah governor Khalid Al Faisal said 1.5 million foreign pilgrims had already arrived, Saudi daily Al Watan said on Wednesday.

"Sales have been going well, many have arrived early," said Salah Al Maqdad who sells prayer beads and perfumes.

John Sfakianakis, chief economist at Banque Saudi Fransi, said foreigners were forecast to spend 8 billion riyals (Dh7.8 billion) during the Haj, up from 7.2 billion last year, while locals would spend 3.6 billion riyals versus 3.3 billion riyals.

"The multiplier effect from the Haj season for the entire economy could surpass 35 billion riyals this year alone," he said, adding last year it was 31 billion riyals.

Tourism GDP would surpass 7.2 per cent of non-oil GDP this year, up from 6.8 per cent in 2009, and 2.8 per cent of overall GDP, up from 2.6 per cent last year, he estimated.

Although revenues from pilgrims are small compared to the massive wealth of the kingdom because of its oil and gas resources, it helps a sector that the government is developing.

Rising population

Faced with a fast-rising population of 18 million Saudis, the government needs to create jobs and developing tourism is one area to do that.

"The main economic potential for the Haj is encouraging pilgrims to visit elsewhere in the kingdom," said Paul Gamble, head of research at Saudi bank Jadwa Investment in Riyadh.

So far pilgrim visas are limited to visit Makkah and Medina but officials have said they are working on plans to allow visits to tourist sites as well.

"There are a variety of potential tourists sites in and around the Makkah region," Gamble said.

Even in the evening, the floodlit Grand Mosque — home to the Ka'aba, the shrine that Muslims around the world face when they pray — is packed with worshippers, while dozens rest or picnic in the nearby streets.