Hajj Pilgrimage Costs Rise Globally, Morocco Sees Modest 7% Increase

In Morocco, the cost of the Hajj for the year 2019 will increase by 7.21%, which represents a low average compared to the increases recorded in other countries, according to Le360. The Royal Commission in charge of the organization had previously set the official rate at 49,906.96 dirhams, a slight increase compared to 46,551.25 dirhams in 2018.

It should be recalled that these costs include air tickets, accommodation, meals, internal transportation, the supervision fee and vaccination costs, in addition to a 5% VAT, but do not include personal expenses, knowing that Moroccans have a Hajj allocation of 15,000 dirhams in addition to the tourist allocation of 45,000 dirhams.

Moreover, notes the site, some countries have recorded a sharp increase in pilgrimage costs compared to 2018, in particular Tunisia with 20.87%, and Cameroon 12.8%. Several factors contributed to this increase, including the appreciation of the Saudi Riyal, the increase in transportation costs imposed by the Saudi authorities, in addition to the accommodation costs which have risen in 2019.