Sattam Al-Muzain

KUWAIT: A poll conducted by Kuwait’s Ministry of Awqaf has found that 70 percent of pilgrims would prefer paying less to perform hajj, an official with the ministry told KUNA. The poll, which included a sample of 1,200 pilgrims, has also found that 94 percent of pilgrims were pleased with the ministry’s hajj services. Sattam Al-Muzain, Director of hajj and umra, told KUNA that the awqaf ministry substantially cut costs of the pilgrimage, which is set to begin on June 26, this year.

According to an official price list published on the ministry’s website, someone staying in a four-bed room, the cheapest option offered by hajj campaigns, would have to pay between KD 1,650 to 4,450 during the 2023 hajj season. Prices depend on the campaign and whether you’re staying at a five-star hotel, furnished room, or a four-star hotel. Kuwait Times reported last year that hajj prices were exuberant due to COVID-19 health restrictions and a tax hike imposed by Saudi authorities on hotels.

Mohammad Al-Mutairi

In 2022, a triple room in a five-star hotel cost KD 3,750 for each pilgrim, compared to KD 2,000 to KD 2,400 before the pandemic, a travel agent had told Kuwait Times. Prices seem to have gone down to pre-pandemic levels this year, with a triple room in a five-star hotel, with many options between KD 2,090 and KD 2,750 available. Facilities for pilgrims Mohammad Al-Mutairi, the assistant undersecretary for media and external affairs and the deputy head of the hajj expedition, told KUNA the ministry has dispatched teams to the holy lands to install equipment at the pilgrims’ tents.

Ahmad Al-Otaibi

Agreements have been inked with several Saudi authorities to aid the 9,000 pilgrims coming from Kuwait – 8,000 Kuwaitis and 1,000 bedoons (illegal residents), he said. The ministry has worked out contracts with a company to oversee pilgrims’ camps, secure food and other necessities for them, Mutairi said. It also inked a deal with a specialized office to arrange facilities for the devotees at the airports and work out their travel documents.

Another agreement has been worked out with a company in Medina to host the pilgrims, organize their housing, follow up on their health issues and preserve their belongings. Dr Ahmad Al-Otaibi, the director of the media division at the Ministry of Awqaf, said the pilgrims had been filled in about necessary health precautions and vaccinations. Kuwaiti Ministry of Health had declared terms for performing the hajj rituals, namely vacci