The average price of a night’s stay in Makkah during Ramadan was 31% more than during the same period last year, adding significantly to local hoteliers’ profits.
According to the hotelscombined.com website, the nightly rate in the holy city stood at $568 this year, as opposed to $433 last year.
Local hotels also reported pilgrims extending their stay in Makkah from five nights to seven nights.
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“Pilgrims and visitors from Europe, South Africa, America, Australia and neighbouring GCC states were on the rise, while the number of pilgrims and visitors from developing countries, including Egypt, India, Pakistan and Philippines, dropped,” said Hichame Assi, head of strategy and online market for hotelscombined.com.
“We believe the drop is somewhat related to the rising hotel prices, although the drop from Pakistan may be due to the impact of the floods as well.”
The website claimed that hotel prices for the Hajj would be three times as much as during Ramadan for independent travellers.
The Hajj season generates around $10.7bn for Saudi Arabia, forming a sizeable part of the non-oil economy.
As a result, the historic city of Makkah is subject to substantial development, with new hotels being built close to the Grand Mosque.
Listed firm Jabal Omar Development is also constructing a $3.3bn mixed-use project near to the Grand Mosque, which will include 38 residential towers.
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