Pilgrimage to Mecca, a business hampered by the Covid-19
Audio 03:06
The grounds of the sacred mosque in Mecca, April 24, 2020. STR / AFP
By: Aabla Jounaïdi Follow
7 mins
Nearly two billion Muslims are preparing to observe the Ramadan fast as they do every year.
For this holy month, many usually take the opportunity to go to Mecca and make the small pilgrimage, “
Umrah
”.
But pandemic requires, only people vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to go there.
The holy cities of Islam have been idling for months, depriving the Kingdom of a vital source of income.
Publicity
It is the second source of income for the Saudi kingdom behind hydrocarbons.
The
Hajj
, the Great Pilgrimage which falls this year in July alone drains more than two million worshipers.
It is compulsory for every Muslim having the physical and financial means.
It is indeed an annuity which is estimated to generate $ 8 billion in a few days.
As for
Umrah
, the small pilgrimage which is not compulsory and can be done all year round (at least in principle), it attracts 8 million visitors and would bring in 4 billion dollars per year.
Priority of the authorities: radically reduce the flow of pilgrims
This has been his goal since March 2020 in fact.
The Saudi Ministry of Holy Places had to call on pilgrims to postpone their stay.
It is impossible to continue to organize normally one of the largest human gatherings on the planet.
It was restricted to a limited number of Saudis and residents of the kingdom.
In recent weeks, the authorities have been ensuring mass vaccination.
The kingdom does not give a quantified target for the
Hajj
scheduled for next July.
But he decided: only people doubly vaccinated or immunized will have access to the holy places.
The authorities are betting that by the summer, a large part of the world population will have been vaccinated and will resume traveling.
Nothing is less sure.
Many Muslims are expected to give up the pilgrimage this year for lack of funds or vaccination.
Disastrous economic consequences for the Kingdom
That's billions of dollars less in Kingdom coffers this year.
But for Saudi leaders, the industry that pilgrimages have become cannot stop.
Billions of dollars have recently been invested in an express train connecting the two holy cities, or in huge luxury hotels.
In the strategic plan "Vision 2030" of the crown prince Mohamed Ben Salman, tourism, of which Islamic tourism is part, is a pivot of the policy of diversification of the economy.
The very ambitious goal is to eventually welcome 30 million annual visitors.
Problem, expected investments, especially foreign ones, are behind schedule.
In the meantime, the hundreds of thousands of workers dependent on the activity generated by the pilgrimages anxiously await the end of the crisis.
IN SHORT
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After long negotiations, these reserves discovered in 2006 will be able to be operated by the French giants Total and the Chinese CNOOC.
The construction of a 1,400 km heated cross-border pipeline can be started between the Lake Albert region and the Tanzanian port of Tanga.
Enough to produce up to 230,000 barrels per day for thirty years.
The end of oil will wait.
Anger of course from environmental NGOs who have been warning for years about the risks to nature and local communities.
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