{
  "id": 19167514,
  "title": "Hajj minister: Number of foreign Umrah pilgrims doubled in 3 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/hajj-minister-number-of-foreign-umrah-pilgrims-doubled-in-3-years",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T14:56:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Saudi Gazette",
    "slug": "saudi-gazette",
    "url": "https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/666121/saudi-arabia/hajj-minister-number-of-foreign-umrah-pilgrims-doubled-in-3-years"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Saudi Hajj Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah announced that the number of foreign Umrah pilgrims has doubled in the past three years, increasing from around 8.4 million in 2022 to 18 million in 2025. This growth has also been reflected in the number of visitors to Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah at the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, which has risen from approximately 6 million to nearly 16 million. Al-Rabiah attributed these achievements to continuous service development and the efforts of relevant authorities. The minister discussed these developments during a ministerial session titled \"Serving the Pilgrims: An Integrated National Ecosystem\" at the sixth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition in Jeddah.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ajel English",
        "title": "New initiatives for Hajj 1448 season to enhance pilgrim experience, says minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/new-initiatives-for-hajj-1448-season-to-enhance-pilgrim-experience",
        "published": "2026-11-09T18:16:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}