Over 6,300 people travel to perform Umrah in December

A total of 6,373 Maldivians have traveled to Saudi Arabia in December to perform Umrah pilgrimage.

Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said 6,373 people traveled to Saudi Arabia in December to perform Umrah pilgrimage, adding they were all in good health.

A total of 57 companies including state-owned Maldives Hajj Corporation escorts pilgrims to Umrah at present. They include 14 companies that were newly permitted this year.

Over 800 of the Maldivians who traveled to perform Umrah in December are being escorted by Hajj Corporation.

Notably, Islamic Ministry had recently made changes to the regulations on escorting pilgrims to Umrah. In this regard, the process of seeking the permit to escort pilgrims to Umrah has been eased with the amendments.

The Ministry has warned strict action against Umrah groups that fail to adhere to regulations while escorting pilgrims.