Makkah’s hotel occupancy has risen to more than 90% around the central area of the Grand Mosque. A total of 1.7 million people have come on Umrah since the season opened in December. The government reduced number of pilgrims last year because of expansion taking place at the Grand Mosque. Hotel investor Fahd Al-Withinani was quoted in Arab News that the season got off to a strong start this year probably because Umrah firms and individuals were more aware of limits on pilgrim numbers. Another investor Mazen Drar agreed with this view and said investors now hope to make up for last year’s losses. Al-Withinani said pilgrims came from inside the Kingdom, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria and Sudan. There were fewer pilgrims from Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. Source: Travel Daily