RELIGIOUS TOURISM
PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY CITIES
Saudi Arabia is undertaking major infrastructure and hospitality developments to meet the needs of millions of religious tourists in the Kingdom.
growing population in the Arab world, the expansion of its middle class, and the reduction of global travel costs are increasing the number of pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia each year. In order to cope with the millions of religious tourists and to provide better infrastructure for pilgrims travelling to and between the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah, the Kingdom is currently implementing massive infrastructure and real estate expansion plans, mainly in the hospitality sector. With the annual number of pilgrims expected to increase to more than three million in the next 25 years and the number of Umrah performers to more than 11 million, Saudi Arabia is also currently expanding both the Holy Mosque in Makkah as well as the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah to accommodate the influx of religious visitors.
A
Managing traffic flow Saudi Arabia is home to the city of Makkah, considered the holiest city in Islam. Each year the city attracts about 2.5 million Hajj pilgrims and over
two million Umrah performers during Ramadan and seasonal holidays. With a resident population of about 1.7 million, there is also heavy traffic on Fridays plus regular daily commercial traffic. Makkah has little public transport available to residents and pilgrims and
transportation between the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah is limited, especially during Hajj. In order to satisfy the transportation needs of the large number of pilgrims and the people of Makkah and Madinah, the Kingdom is currently developing the Haramain High Speed Railway (HHSR); a bullet train connecting Jeddah, Makkah and reaching to Knowledge Economic City (KEC) in Madinah. Construction of the 450 kilometre system started in 2009; the railway is planned to provide a safe and comfortable transport in 320 kilometres per hour electric trains. Te system is expected to carry three million passengers a year, including many Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, helping to relieve traffic congestion on the roads. Te HHSR will have five stations: Madinah (KEC) at the north end of the line, King Abdullah Economic City-
16 I CITYSCAPE I JUNE 2012
Image: Foster + Partners
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