Indonesians pilgrims have to wait for 37 years to perform Hajj

 Indonesia is a largest Muslim country in the world in numbers. The total Muslim population of Indonesia is over 220 million. Mostly people keen to go for perform Hajj in Mecca.

But after every two years they cannot go for like every other country not even with Hajj draw. But they have to wait for their Hajj turn for average thirty-seven years of their life.

According to Indonesian Muslim Association Travels for Hajj, Umrah chairman ‘Joko Asmoro’, about 22 million Indonesians pilgrims are looking forward for Hajj in waiting list. He said, a big numbers of our population keen to offer Hajj. For this purpose, the government has devised this method, ‘The pilgrims' names are taken in advance registration lists and then they were sent to the Hijaz for Hajj on their turn. He was speaking at the iftar party at Indonesian Consulate office in Jeddah’.

He said that the average waiting period for Hajj is thirty seven years. That’s why the number of Umrah pilgrims has increased. Because the costs are so low and secondly they do not take the trouble to long wait.

Asmoro added, approximately three and a half thousand travel agencies are working in Indonesia. Only 668 travel agencies have authority to send Indonesian to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. And The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah managements has allowed 200 agencies. Hajj and Umrah visitors are taken through four airlines from Indonesia and brought to Saudi Arabia.

Accompanied by Juman Nazar, vice consul for economic affairs, officials briefed reporters about the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in various fields.

“We receive 54,000 Saudi tourists who stay from one week to three weeks. We are expecting more visitors. Saudis do not follow travel agency schedules. They prefer to have their special arrangements,” Nazar said. According to him, besides tickets, a one-week to 10-day stay in Indonesian may cost $1,000.