MAKKAH/MADINAH: With the start of the summer holidays in the Kingdom and the neighboring countries, huge numbers of people have begun flocking to Makkah and Madinah to perform Umrah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque.

As the summer holidays this year also include Ramadan, government departments in the two cities have made preparations for enormous numbers of pilgrims.

Markets in Makkah are already crowded, and most hotels and furnished apartments are fully booked. The problem with accommodation is compounded by the demolition of buildings in the eastern and northern side of the Grand Mosque to make way for an expansion of the courtyard surrounding the massive prayer complex.

“It has become very difficult to find accommodation in the central area of Makkah,” said one foreign pilgrim, adding that prices have gone up to astronomical levels.

Rooms at five star hotels for one week near the Grand Mosque now cost SR30,000. Despite the increase in charges, all five star hotels in the city are fully occupied.

A real estate expert told Arab News that there is a shortage of hotel rooms in the city, as many small hotels in the Jabal Omar, Shamiya, Gazza and Harrat Al-Bab areas have been razed.

Meanwhile, markets in the Otaibiya, Aziziya and Mansour areas are busy with shoppers buying gifts and souvenirs for friends and relatives back home.

Street vendors are also making a lot of money by selling readymade dresses and bric-a-bracs.

Security officers have been deployed all over the city to ensure a smooth flow of pilgrims and prevent traffic jams.

Madinah

The holy city of Madinah is also witnessing an increase in sales at shops, hotels and restaurants. Occupancy rate at hotels and residential apartments located near the Prophet’s Mosque has reached 97 percent.

The prices of residential units currently range from SR150 to SR500 per night; hotels are charging between SR350 and SR2,000 per night.

Adel Muhammad, who works for a hotel in the central area of Madinah, said prices at his hotel start from SR250 and go up to SR500 per night.

Muhammad Al-Harbi, the owner of a restaurant in Madinah, said he is employing a number of Saudis to meet the extra rush during the summer. “Sales have tripled in our restaurant since the beginning of the summer season,” he told Arab News.

Sales have also increased at jewelry shops in the city despite an increase in the price of gold.

— with input by Samah Yaseen