The hotel sector in Mecca is experiencing a significant revival: room occupancy in central areas reached 100 percent during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan, the highest level since the pandemic.
Bassam Khanfar, manager of one of the hotels in the Aziziyah district, said that this year the number of pilgrims performing Umrah has increased, and occupancy has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The revival is mainly due to the amenities offered by the Kingdom to pilgrims from abroad. Investors and hotel owners quickly took advantage of this by opening their properties.
Khanfar added that, given the geographical location of Mecca's hotels, it became clear that the new transport network helped hotel owners outside the central area serve a significant portion of Umrah pilgrims.
He said: «One of the most important reasons why pilgrims choose accommodation outside the central area is the very high prices of hotels in the central districts.».
Hani Najah, commercial director of the Address Makkah hotel, said that pilgrims perform Umrah mainly in the central area around the Grand Mosque.
However, he added: «The Mecca bus project has allowed pilgrims to choose hotels located in other districts of Mecca, and the buses connect these districts to the Grand Mosque. This has helped revive these areas, especially hotels below four stars.».
The price per room in a hotel with a view ranges from 4,000 Saudi riyals ($1,000 USD) to 10,000 Saudi riyals per night in five-star hotels. The average price per room ranges from 2,500 to 3,000 Saudi riyals and from 800 to 1,100 Saudi riyals for five-star and four-star hotels respectively outside the central area.
Arwa Al-Ahmadi, who specializes in tourism and the hospitality sector, said: «Hotel occupancy this year is very high, which reflects the strength of the sector, with room occupancy rates in some hotels reaching 100 percent, a percentage that was hindered by global conditions due to the COVID-19 outbreak in recent years.
«Demand is high, the entire sector is reviving, and employment opportunities have become possible and favorable.».
Al-Ahmadi said that there are more than 1,400 hotels in the holy city, and added: «[In] the Mecca area it is crowded throughout the year, and the occupancy rate varies, but recently, thanks to the wise decisions of our government allowing pilgrims to come from abroad, occupancy has increased, reaching its maximum in some hotels.».
Al-Ahmadi added that the Haramain train and free buses from the airport have helped facilitate transportation and reduce congestion.
Ali Fallatah, operations director of Address Hotel, said that the increase in hotel occupancy was facilitated by greater visa availability and the four-day transit period within Saudi Arabia.