MECCA – Muslims have long flocked to Saudi Arabia for one of religion’s most important rituals, the six-day haj pilgrimage to the sacred city of Mecca. Only that in 2026, the journey has turned out to be far more costly than usual.
For Egyptians, the Middle East’s biggest Muslim population, average ticket fares jumped to 50,000 Egyptian pounds (S$1,220) from 30,000 Egyptian pounds, according to the North African country’s tourism federation.
Packages – often the preferred option for travellers – have risen 30 per cent, with some soaring to 90,000 Egyptian pounds from 70,000 Egyptian pounds.
The pilgrimage in 2026 – which Muslims are generally required to perform once in their lifetime – is that has disrupted air traffic across the Gulf since February and resulted in record prices for jet fuel, in turn leading to higher tickets fares across airlines.
Jazeera Airways, which is carrying more than 30,000 people from Russia and Central Asian countries to Mecca, said fares have risen by as much as 40 per cent this season because the Kuwaiti company did not hedge its fuel.
Airfares to Saudi Arabia from major Muslim markets, including Egypt, Pakistan and India, have risen between 20 and 40 per cent compared with the same period in 2025, according to travel company WEGO.
Some routes now cost about 50 per cent more.
Saudi Arabia has largely been spared from the disruptions prompted by the war, but the soaring prices will still impact the country, and the more than 1.5 million foreign worshippers flying in to congregate for the haj.
The religious journey was for a long time the only form of tourism that the desert nation cultivated, and it remains one of its most stable sources of income.
Each country is assigned a quota for how many of its citizens can perform the haj, and there are waiting lists for slots.
Driving religious tourism has been a focus for the kingdom as it tries to enrich the pilgrim experience and diversify its revenue sources.
The haj economy is set to triple in value to about US$350 billion (S$447 billion) by 2034, according to research group Future Market Insights. BLOOMBERG
