UAE | Tourism
Flu virus scares off Haj pilgrims
Agencies report sharp drop in number of people going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah
- By Abdullah Rasheed, Abu Dhabi Editor, and Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:00 July 6, 2009
- With the drop in number of pilgrims, travel agencies areoffering substantial discounts to would-be pilgrims.
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
Abu Dhabi/Dubai: Haj agencies have registered a steep drop in pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah (or the lesser pilgrimage) because of the H1N1 scare.
A religious authority in the UAE has also advised the elderly, pregnant women and asthmatics not to travel to Makkah for Umrah or the annual Haj following guidelines from Saudi Arabia.
"Families are dropping out, especially those with children and the elderly," said Abdul Rashid of Al Hamar Haj services. "Compared to last year, the drop is 75 per cent this year," he said.
Dr Mohammad Mattar Al Kaabi, Director-General of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (Awqaf), said pilgrims will be monitored closely.
"We are not vaccinating the pilgrims," he said.
Al Kaabi has urged people who wish to go to Umrah despite the advice, to wear masks. Those returning will be checked for H1N1 symptoms, he said.
It was earlier reported that Saudi Arabia had instructed Muslim countries to vaccinate their pilgrims against regular flu. But one Haj agency said pilgrims are only given hepatitis B vaccinations.
There is no vaccination against H1N1 yet as the first batch produced by a Swiss pharmaceutical firm is under clinical trials.
Even a regular flu vaccine is not available as the last batch expired in March and a new batch is yet to be imported, pharmacies said.
With the drop in pilgrims, travel agencies are offering substantial discounts. One Ajman-based agency is offering an attractive Umrah package for residents gong home for vacations.
A Dubai-Jeddah-Mumbai ticket is up for grabs for Dh1,200. The ticket is open for a four-day stopover. In comparison, a one-way ticket to Jeddah from the UAE costs Dh 1,150 and goes up to Dh1,800 on certain airlines. The agency will apply for the Umrah visa which costs Dh300.
Many Arab expatriates prefer to go by bus to Makkah - the 1,600km journey takes 24 hours.
"Many people have cancelled their trip [to Makkah]," said Mohammad Ragab from Taibah, a Haj and Umrah agency. A number of companies like real estate firms and banks are also not sending their staff this year, he said.
Haj agencies are still crossing their fingers, hoping the rush for Umrah will start as Ramadan begins. There is usually a huge rush during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
Haj will be in November.
Were you planning to go to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Umrah? Were your plans changed because of the H1N1 scare? Tell us about it below.
Your comments
This is the responsibily for each pilgrim to perform complete check against H1N1.also saudi govt restrict the approval of visa until pilgrim shows the positive reports.It is better for All the 3 millions pilgrim to perform hajj
Azhar Tufail
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 07, 2009, 16:40
unfortunately any gathering of masses is a great opportuntiy for the virus to spread. Umrah and Haj are among the biggest massive gatherings on the planet! It is imperative that pilgrims returning home will be meticulously checked for the virus.
George
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 07, 2009, 16:39
My plans are not affected with this announcement, I am planning to go for Umrah during Ramadan InshaAllah and my parents are going for Hajj and if required will be vaccinated in my home country before going to Makkah.
Zubair Ahmad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 07, 2009, 13:31
i AGREE WITH MR.ASIF MALEK THAT to conduct swine flu tests before departure of pilgrims from respective countries
Mariam Rashid
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 07, 2009, 13:23
WE THINK THAT WE SHOULD NOT GIVE MUCH IMPORTANCE TO FLU, WE SHOULD BE HEALTHY WHILE GOING AND KEEP OURSELF CLEAN,HYGIENIC,SAFE,DISCIPLINED, JUST NOW OUR FAMILY,KIDS WERE IN MAKKAH AND MEDINA FOR 14 DAYS, AND WE BACK TO SHARJAH, WE PRAYED ALL THE TIME EXCEPT ROTATIONAL SLEEP/REST. ONLY WE SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS OF HOT WEATHER COLD WATER SHADE ETC NATURE.
Ajaz Ahmad Aziz Rahman
Ajman,UAE
Posted: July 07, 2009, 13:12
Confused, i have plans but not sure i will execute those plans or not.
Syed Shoaib Hassan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 07, 2009, 12:38
Your report ends by saying Haj Agencies are keeping their fingers Crossed!. Crossing of fingers is what Christians do believe in, not Muslims
Simon
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 07, 2009, 10:14
I believe H1N1 should not be of much concern, what Saudi Authorities can do is ask all countries to conduct swine flu tests before departure of pilgrims from respective countries. If found, only those pilgrims should not be allowed to travel. And these countries will also conduct H1N1 test once the pilgrims return after completing Haj.
Asif Malek
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 07, 2009, 10:09
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